


Fun For the Whole Family™ 2: Highway to Hell (aka Florida)

by InkgooSupernova



Series: The Winter System [17]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: ABDL, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amusement Parks, Anal Fingering, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Autism Spectrum, Beach Holidays, Beaches, Beards (Facial Hair), Blow Jobs, Bucky Barnes Has Nightmares, Bucky Barnes has DID - Dissociative Identity Disorder, Canon-Typical Violence, Cute, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Domestic Avengers, Domestic Fluff, Embarrassment, Eventual Smut, Family Fluff, Flashbacks, Hotel Sex, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Invasion of Privacy, Kevin Now Has a Full Name and Identity, Kid Bucky Barnes, M/M, Misunderstandings, Multi, Non-Sexual Age Play, Original Character(s), Police, Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Restaurants, Road Trips, Robbery, Roller Coasters, Rough Sex, Sexual Harassment, Shock, Strangers, Summer Vacation, Threesome - M/M/M, Topping from the Bottom, Violation, Vomiting, Wetting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:35:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 17,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23940169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkgooSupernova/pseuds/InkgooSupernova
Summary: "Route 66 opened when we were both kids, but neither of us could ever afford to take a road trip. New lives, new experiences." Bucky explained to the still horribly confused Tony, setting a specific bag in the back seat where he would be sitting. They all had a tendency to fall asleep and/or get bored in cars, so they needed their special items within arms reach to keep them occupied."America's Main Street, I know I know," Tony rolled his eyes. "You realize that road goes toCali, notFlorida, right?""I'm not allowed in California, Stark." Bucky growled, earning a concerned glance from the arrogant man. He wasn'tactuallybanned from any state, but he was willing to sayanythingto make Tony shut up.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson
Series: The Winter System [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1693231
Comments: 73
Kudos: 145





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Bucky and the gang have planned a week long vacation road trip traveling down the east coast of the United States to warm, sunny ~~Hell~~ Florida.
> 
> This story is based on personal experiences.

"You've got the beach bag?" Steve called from the Jeep, shuffling through different duffel bags and suitcases that were stuffed to the brim in the trunk.

"Right here!" Sam called back from the door of the tower, carrying a few more overstuffed bags with Bucky in tow.

"You sure you guy's don't want to just borrow a jet? Or hell one of my personal pilots?" Tony sounded absolutely flabbergasted. "Why would you rather try to stuff three huge men in that military clown car?"

"It's called a road trip, Tony." Steve huffed, shoving the last few bags into the back and slamming the door shut to make _sure_ all of the items stayed.

"Route 66 opened when we were both kids, but neither of us could ever afford to take a road trip. New lives, new experiences." Bucky explained to the still horribly confused Tony, setting a specific bag in the back seat where he would be sitting. They all had a tendency to fall asleep and/or get bored in cars, so they needed their special items within arms reach to keep them occupied.

"America's Main Street, I know I know," Tony rolled his eyes. "You realize that road goes to _Cali_ , not _Florida_ , right?"

"I'm not allowed in California, Stark." Bucky growled, earning a concerned glance from the arrogant man. He wasn't _actually_ banned from any state, but he was willing to say _anything_ to make Tony shut up.

"Besides, I've been wanting to check out the beaches." Sam hummed, stepping into the passenger seat of the Jeep.

"If anything happens, you can pick us up with a quinjet." Steve sighed, making sure Bucky was buckled in on instinct before slipping into the drivers seat. " _Don't_ let anything happen. We'll be back in a week. That's seven days. I'm sure you can handle saving the world without us until then."

"Oh sure, we'll call the Chitauri and tell them you're on vacation and to not attack us." Tony playfully huffed. "Have fun on your grandpa's day out."

Bucky stuck his metal arm out of the window, holding up one very specific finger in Tony's direction, as the Jeep pulled out of the parking garage of the tower and onto the street.

Thus, began the Roger-Wilson-Barnes family road trip from Manhattan to Daytona Beach.


	2. You Should've Thought of That Before We Left!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truthfully, Bucky was tired of getting made fun of for how pale he was, so he figured some sun wouldn't do him too much harm. However, that just lead to Steve and Sam taking bets as to whether or not they could cook an egg on his arm in the sun.
> 
> "I'm bored." Bucky needed to make his opinions known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has mentions of bodily fluids.
> 
> Reader Digression is Advised.

Bucky was bored not five minutes after they turned onto the road.

In order to get to their first destination at a decent time, they decided to leave at the absolute _ass crack_ of dawn. Sure, a straight-shot trip from New York to Florida was only fifteen hours, but they wanted the full 'Road Trip' experience, so they planned a few stops on the way there.

First off was Busch Gardens in Virginia, because of _course_ they all loved a good thrill. That, and Steve needs exciting things to avoid jumping out of planes without parachutes, it seems. After that was Savannah, Georgia, just to see the sights. Finally, was Daytona Beach, Florida, for a few days of fun in the sun.

Truthfully, Bucky was tired of getting made fun of for how pale he was, so he figured some sun wouldn't do him too much harm. However, that just lead to Steve and Sam taking bets as to whether or not they could cook an egg on his arm in the sun.

"I'm bored." Bucky needed to make his opinions known.

"We literally just left!" Sam huffed, exasperated. "You have that bag, don't you? Find something to do in there."

Bucky huffed, reaching for their personal bag and digging through the random items. Winnie's plush, a weird, bean shaped plush of the Soldier, some coloring books and crayons, a crappy soft-porn 'romance' novel for the Soldier, some more random crap that Jamesy probably stuffed into their bag when he wasn't paying attention, but nothing that would cure his boredom.

"Can we get something to eat?" Bucky all but whined, leaning his head against the window.

"We'll get something before we get on the highway, how about that?" Steve negotiated, hoping to quell Bucky's whining.

"...Alright." Bucky sighed, leaning up to the front seat and turning on the radio. After twisting the knob a few times, the perfect song for their situation caught his attention.

" **NO STOP SIGN! SPEED LIMITS!** " Bucky belted out, cranking the volume of the radio up until it was borderline painful. " **NOBODY'S GONNA SLOW ME DOWN!** "

Sam laughed and began singing along with him. Steve, bless his heart, didn't know a word of this song. But seeing his best man singing his precious heart out made his soul sing.

" **I'M ON THE _HIIIIGHWAY_ T'AH HELL!**" The two harmonized their screaming with the radio, banging their heads enough to nearly shake the poor Jeep to bits.

By the time they pulled into a drive-through restaurant for breakfast, the song had long ended and the radio had returned to it's normal, sane volume level. After ordering though the window and collecting and distributing their food, they made their way to the highway. The sun was just barely visible behind the skyscrapers that surrounded them.

Bucky enjoyed his breakfast as he stared out the window, watching the world speed pass them. It would be a good six hours before they got to their first destination, so he had plenty of time to kill doing random things in the back of the car.

'I ha'ffo pee.' Jamesy suddenly whined, and Bucky noticed that he did, in fact, have to pee.

'Why didn't you go before we left?' Bucky chided in his own head to the child.

'Di'n think to...' He whimpered.

Given that Bucky had not thought to put some protection on before they left, their only option was to pull over.

"Steve, I have to pee." Bucky mumbled, honestly a little embarrassed.

"Why didn't you go before we left?" Steve sighed, not hesitating to pull over onto the shoulder of the road. Thank fuck there were some trees along the side of the road.

"That's what I said!" Bucky huffed, kicking open the car door and making his way to the trees.

After just under a minute, Bucky had returned to the car, relieved. Accident avoided.

"You should really be wearing..." Steve mumbled, pulling back onto the road.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Bucky huffed. "Don't look." He grumbled as he started tugging his own pants and underwear off in the back seat of the Jeep, digging through one of the bags for some fresh padding.

"We wont." Both Steve and Sam hummed in unison, both keeping their eyes on the road as Bucky struggled his way into the padding.

"Okay, I'm good." Bucky finally called, zipping his pants back up.

And so they drove on, their venture being rather monotonous as they drove along the highway.

"WHERE'D 'YA LEARN TO DRIVE?! A FUCKIN' BUMPER-CART TRACK?!" Bucky was suddenly startled awake by Steve's Brooklyn-laced shouting and the Jeep's horn blaring. He hadn't even realized he dozed off.

"Sorry Buck, some guy in an SUV just cut us off." Sam explained, and Bucky could notice the sudden, sheepish curve in Steve's shoulders.

"Sorry about that..." Steve mumbled, not looking either of them in the eye.

Bucky just laughed, rolling his head back against the seat.

This was going to be a fun trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **References:**
> 
> The bean-shaped plush of Soldier is a Winter Soldier TsumTsum, found [here](http://disneytsumtsum.com/new-marvel-sharon-carter-and-winter-soldier-tsum-tsums-released-online/).
> 
> The song that Bucky and Sam sing is 'Highway to Hell' by AC/DC.


	3. Remember When I Made You Ride the Cyclone at Coney Island?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and the gang had made it to their first destination: Busch Gardens Williamsburg. They all figured that Bucky would enjoy the rides like they used to at Coney Island, or that maybe Jamesy would have fun running around the amusement park's 'Land of the Dragons'.
> 
> But it turns out that the Soldier was having more of a blast than either of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features depictions of vomiting, as well as depictions of an entitled mother yelling at several people.
> 
> Reader Discretion is Advised.
> 
> The title is a line from the movie 'Captain America: The First Avenger'.

Apparently, the Soldier loved roller coasters.

Well, he didn't exactly _love_ roller coasters, it was more of a 'love-hate' relationship.

He loved the way they felt like an endurance test with no real harm or danger.

Bucky and the gang had made it to their first destination: Busch Gardens Williamsburg. They all figured that Bucky would enjoy the rides like they used to at Coney Island, or that maybe Jamesy would have fun running around the amusement park's 'Land of the Dragons'.

But it turns out that the Soldier was having more of a blast than either of them.

"That one." The Soldier pointed at a rather intimidating coaster, watching in awe as the inverted carts full of people with shoulder-restraints over them dove through a hard banking turn.

"Are you sure? You've been on a few rides already..." The Captain sounded concerned. Sure, they had already ridden a few other coasters. One that was called 'Griffon' was his favorite so far. It didn't even have a proper cart! Just chairs that people sit in with restraints keeping them in! Roller coaster sure have changed since the 1930s. The Soldier was barely listening, handing their phone and other loose items to the Captain to hold for him.

"Da, I'm sure." The Soldier responded, already bounding to the rather long line of people waiting for the 'Alpengeist'.

"Yeah, I'm sitting this one out. You be careful, alright?" The Falcon called out to him, plopping himself down on a nearby bench. The Falcon and the Captain had ridden with him on every ride so far, but that quickly changed after the Captain barely avoided puking after they got off the 'Da Vinci's Cradle' ride. The Soldier didn't understand how a super-soldier still had such a weak stomach on roller coasters.

"Da!" He called back, standing in line behind a woman with a congregation of at least seven or eight children surrounding her. None of them would sit still long enough for him to count them all.

'There's a wonderful new invention called a 'condom', maybe try wearing one next time?' The Soldier thought to himself, already annoyed at the screaming, overgrown sperm cells.

'Rude.' Bucky retorted back inside of their skull. The Soldier rolled his eyes at the offence.

And so the Soldier waited.

And waited...

And waited...

And waited...

'Maybe coming here at peak season on the hottest day of the year wasn't the best idea?' Bucky all but huffed. They were all practically dying from the late-afternoon heat as they stood in line, packed like sardines in the queue. Although they _were_ the only ones wearing long sleeve clothes out there.

'Can we take it off, pl'eese?' Jamesy whimpered, their flesh hand already tugging at the hem of their hoodie.

Before the Soldier could think to stop them, the hoodie was already slipped off above their head and tied tight around their waist.

'Good going, our arm isn't covered.' Bucky grumbled.

Bucky was right, now their arm was on full display for the world to see. Luckily, the sleeves of their shirt went a little further down on their shoulders and arms, so the star wasn't visible. Maybe people would just think they're a completely normal guy with a cool prosthetic arm.

They were wearing sunglasses and baseball hats, after all. Absolutely impervious disguises.

And so the Soldier waited.

And waited...

And waited some more.

' **HOW LONG IS THIS FUCKING LINE?!** ' Bucky practically screamed in their head, causing the Soldier to physically flinch.

The Soldier was about to start barking back, until he realized that they were at the last checkpoint of the line, and there was a commotion in front of them.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but he's not tall enough to ride." The ride worker at the checkpoint sounded so exhausted as he spoke to the octo-mom from hell in front of them.

"THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" The woman squawked over her herd of noise-makers. "HE'S ONLY THREE INCHES UNDER! LET US RIDE!"

"Ma'am, the safety regulations are there for a reason." This poor kid looked like he had already had this conversation with at least four other people today. The Soldier was so _close_ to just reaching over and _strangling_ this-

'Woah, back it up, Big guy. No violent thoughts.' Bucky's voice pierced through his thoughts.

"Prostite menya..." The Soldier sighed out loud.

"EX **CUSE _ME?!_** " The woman, who was most likely named Karen or Jessica or Barbara or some other entitled white mom name, spun around to face him, her band of troglodites following suit. How much would Bucky be willing to bet that one of those kids surrounding her was named 'Ashleigh' or 'Jaycub' or some other stupid spelling of a common name? " **DID YOU JUST CALL ME A _PROSTITUTE?!_** "

Ohhh boy. Suburban white mom hearing a language she doesn't know.

"Ya-uh-chto-nyet?!" The Soldier couldn't help the pathetic, sputtering response that tumbled from his mouth. This woman glared at him directly in the eye, which caused him to tuck his head in fear and general uncomfortable feelings. He felt his entire body clam up, that lead ball finding its way into their mouth again.

" _SPEAK AMERICAN IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE IN THIS COUNTRY_!" The woman barked, causing him to flinch back. He _really_ didn't want to be yelled at by anyone, let alone this walking amalgamation of blonde highlights and entitlement. "YOU PEOPLE ALWAYS COME-"

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The kid at the check out appeared to have had enough of her antics, earning the woman's wrath as she spun around to squawk at him again. The Soldier watched with silent glee as the kid lifted a walkie-talkie to his lips, calling for security.

The Soldier stepped out of the way as two security guards entered the line from the side, escorting the woman out of the line, her flock of barely-evolved zygotes in tow. He couldn't help the giddy jump in his chest as the woman was all but dragged away, all the while still performing her best banshee impression.

"Spacib- I mean, thank you." The Soldier caught himself, figuring the kid would be annoyed with him for accidentally instigating the fight.

"vcee khorosho," The kid winked at him, and he couldn't help the bright smile that played across his lips. "Enjoy the ride, sir."

"You too." The Soldier hummed, walking to the loading gates in the ride station.

'You too?' Bucky huffed. The Soldier mentally smacked himself on the forehead when he realized his mistake.

With all the excitement of the Line-Ride, they completely forgot that they were always anxious at the beginning of roller coasters. Their stomach was already tying itself in knots from the sudden anxiety.

The Soldier made his way into the nearest seat, pulling the restraints down easily and buckling himself in. He kept his eyes low as one of the ride attendants came to check his restraints, letting out an almost shaky breath as he waited. The anticipation was killing him.

With a few shouts of the ride attendants, the inverted cart was moving. It was still a little jarring to feel his legs dangling in the air as the cart moved, as opposed to sitting inside of a normal cart.

The cart pulled up and up and up along the track above them, lifting them higher and higher into the sky. The clicking of the chains pulling the cart just added to the ramping anxiety and anticipation. They could finally see the winding mess of track before them.

'Is it too late to get off?' Bucky asked, almost sarcastically.

With that, the coaster dove down the first drop, immediately cutting to a sharp right as the cart dove through the sky.

The positive G-Force pressed his body back into the seat as he tried his best to keep a straight face.

Endurance.

The coaster swung, dove, and soared across the track, the patrons surrounding him screaming in delight. He would not scream, he would endure. The high levels of G-Force caused his stomach to twist into painful knots in his guts.

After about a minute and a half of the near constant swooping and swinging, the cart finally made its way back to the station. The Soldier could barely keep his feet under him as he stumbled off the seat and out of the ride exit. It took him a minute in his dizzy, disoriented state to locate the Captain and the Falcon, who were now standing from the bench they were sitting on and walking towards him.

"Hey, you doin' alright?" The Captain was there to steady him, resting a hand on his metal arm.

"Did you happen to see that lady screaming at security? That was funny as hell." The Falcon laughed.

The Soldier smiled at the both of them, wobbling just a little as he tried to balance.

His smile immediately fell as his stomach twisted. He could feel his mouth suddenly filling with saliva.

"Soldier, you okay? You're looking a little green around the gills." The Falcon sounded so concerned, shooting a worried glance at the Captain, who was looking around for _something_.

'There was a trashcan when we walked to the line, on your seven.' Bucky's voice pierced through the fog, and the Soldier was making a B-Line straight for the promised bin.

And promptly emptied his stomach contents into the trashcan.

The Captain was soon behind him, helping to pull his wind-blown hair behind his head to avoid it getting caught in the crossfire.

"Told you that last one wasn't a good idea..." The Captain sighed, not even a hint of malice in his voice. The Soldier couldn't care enough to respond, focusing more on keeping his head in the opening of the bin.

After a few more wet, painful wretches, the Soldier spat the last of the foul chime in his mouth into the can, pulling back to breathe in some fresh air. He gulped down a few breaths as the two men led him back to the bench to sit down.

"Here, drink." The Captain handed him a water bottle, which he gratefully gulped down. The water was so cool and refreshing, even if it was slightly tainted by the sour taste of his own sick that clung to his mouth.

"You okay? Feel any better?" The Falcon asked as the Soldier handed him the now empty water bottle.

"That...was _awesome_." The Soldier couldn't help but laugh.

What's a day at an amusement park if you don't end up puking your guts out at least once?

With that, their day at Busch Gardens Williamsburg ended, and they found themselves in their hotel room just before dark.

The Soldier was busy in the bathroom, brushing his teeth in order to properly clean away the taste of old sick. He was naked save for the towel wrapped around his waist, having just stepped out of the shower to clean off the day's sweat and amusement park germs.

"Alright, it's gonna take about seven hours to get to Savannah," He heard the Captain in the other room as he rinsed out his mouth with the hotel tap water. "If we leave at five am, we'll be there around noon."

"We can get some lunch when we get there after we get to our hotel." The Falcon hummed, turning to face the Soldier as he stepped out of the bathroom.

"That sounds good, we'll have to stop for breakfast after we leave, this place's breakfast doesn't start until six." The Captain sighed, watching the Falcon stand up from the chair he was sitting in.

"I'm gonna grab my shower, you two better not destroy the hotel room until I get back." The Falcon teased as he stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

"No promises." The Soldier piped up, earning a laugh from the two men. That made him feel good, he liked when his attitude and quips got him praise. He was allowed to say how he felt, no matter what. He was _safe_.

The Captain sighed as he laid down on the overly large bed, letting the Soldier climb in to snuggle against his chest.

"Did'ya have fun today?" The Captain asked, and the Soldier hummed fondly in response. The two men laid together, listening to the water running in the other room.

The Soldier hadn't realized he dozed off until the Falcon was slipping into bed with them, scooting up close behind him to spoon him.

"Steve, gonna get a shower?" The Falcon asked, nudging the Captain's shoulder.

"Nuh-uh. I'll get one in the morning." The Captain sighed, not even opening his eyes. That earned him a rather ungentle shove from the Soldier.

"No germs. Shower now." He huffed, earning a laugh from the Falcon and a glare from the Captain.

After the worlds quickest shower, the Captain returned to the bed, pulling both men into a warm embrace.

Tomorrow, they would be on the road again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Translations:**
> 
> Da: Yes  
> Prostitie menya: I'm sorry  
> "Ya-uh-chto-nyet?!": "I-uh-what-no?!"  
> Spacibo: Thank you  
> Vcee khorosho: Everything's fine
> 
> **References:**
> 
> The amusement park they are visiting is Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia.  
> The ride the Soldier rides on is called the Alpengeist, an inverted roller coaster in the park.
> 
> **Brief Explanations:**
> 
> Any behaviors related to DID or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency within this story are based on **personal experiences** and are not a scientific basis or professional explanation for either DID systems or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency. No two people, let alone no two systems, are exactly the same.


	4. An UnBEARably, PAWsitively, UnBEARlieavably Exciting Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "That sound good to you all?" The Captain asked, pulling the car into the drive of the hotel. They had finally arrived and the Soldier hadn't even realized it.
> 
> "Da, ple-ees..." The Soldier trailed off, finding the kids menu portion of the website. There were coloring pages and mazes advertised.
> 
> Fatal error.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based loosely on personal experiences.
> 
> There is a reference to past sexual abuse at the beginning of the story, although it is only one line and not in graphic detail.
> 
> Enjoy the domestic fluff of Winnie the Bucky Bear's Day Out.
> 
> And excuse the overBEARingly terrible puns, _bear_ with me.

The Soldier groaned as he stared out the window. He was getting more and more bored as the seconds passed.

Truth be told, he _hated_ being stuck in cars.

He had very unpleasant memories of his old STRIKE team and vehicles, especially vans. He could explicitly recall an odd chain of missions involving Commander Rumlow, Agent Rollins, and himself having to drive up into the Canadian wilderness in order to take out a target. Commander Rumlow had gifted him a stuffed bear with no name that had a _striking_ similarity to the military uniform the Bucky who died long ago used to wear, they ended up shooting the target without him, they stopped including him in the mission planning and would never tell him _why_ he was being excluded from the mission out of nowhere for seemingly no reason, and at one point they even had him drink an _entire bottle_ of cinnamon whiskey while _driving the car_.

He was fairly certain Commander Rumlow and Agent Rollins had a death wish.

Considering how many times Commander Rumlow molested him throughout that mission, the death wish was at least obvious for him. However, he didn't want to think about that right now.

He could also vividly remember folding a flat-screen television in half, which resulted in Commander Rumlow and Agent Rollins laughing at the ruined piece of scrap parts for a good five minutes as he drove. He could also remember a strange argument between the two men involving something about 'Chinatown'.

That mission was so very confusing. He was glad when it was over and he was allowed to rest again.

"We're almost to the hotel," The Captain's voice dragged him from his thoughts. "Either of you guys wanna look up any good restaurants for lunch?"

The Soldier fished their phone from their pocket, entering the passcode and searching up 'restaurants in Savannah, Georgia'. He could see out of his peripheral vision that the Falcon was searching as well.

"Hey look, there's this place called 'Chives Seabar and Lounge'," The Falcon piped up, showing his phone screen to the Soldier. "It says it's based on a 1920s restaurant, maybe you two would like to go there?"

"Sam, we were still in diapers through half of the 20s," The Captain huffed playfully. "That place would be about as familiar as any modern gastro-whatever you kids have now-adays."

"We don't like seafood." The Soldier added. They were working on expressing their thoughts and opinions without fear of ridicule or rejection.

"Alright I get it, no seabar then." The Falcon laughed, scrolling through his phone some more.

"How about this? 'Vic's on the River'." The Soldier showed their phone screen to the Falcon, who looked through the menu for a moment. "It looks pretty."

"It's built in a 19th century warehouse, that's cool." The Falcon mumbled to no one in particular.

"That sound good to you all?" The Captain asked, pulling the car into the drive of the hotel. They had finally arrived and the Soldier hadn't even realized it.

"Da, ple-ees..." The Soldier trailed off, finding the kids menu portion of the website. There were coloring pages and mazes advertised.

Fatal error.

He was no longer a two-hundred and sixty pound mass of muscle and metal that both attracted and repelled attention.

He was now a soft, sweet little Bucky Bear that demanded _all_ the attention.

"Soldier? You comin'?" Uncle Sam asked as he held open the door.

"Uhm..." Winnie whimpered, suddenly feeling a lot more helpless and vulnerable and _scared_.

"You okay?" Daddy was carrying a bunch of bags and they were in a new place and he didn't know what was going on and and _and_ -

"Hhhhhhhh..." He began to whine, terrified of his new surroundings.

"Oh, hey it's okay buddy, it's okay." Uncle Sam leaned down and pulled him into a hug, and that made him feel a _lot_ better. "I'll bring him to the room in a minute, Steve. Can you get a cart for the bags?"

"Yeah, yeah sure." Daddy nodded, looking towards Winnie for a moment. "I'll be right back, lamb, don't worry."

Winnie tried to not worry, he _really_ did, but waiting for Daddy to come back became more and more unbearable as the seconds passed. He clung tight to Uncle Sam, nuzzling against his shoulder to avoid looking at the strange world around him.

"Here, I'm back." Daddy was _finally_ back! That took _forever_! "I can load everything up if you want to get him up to the room and ready for lunch."

Uncle Sam nodded and helped Winnie out of the car, grabbing his bag from the back seat for him. Thankfully, today was a walking day.

Unthankfully, however, this also seemed to be a 'curious and must look at _everything_ ' day, because the moment they walked into the hotel lobby, the little bear was wandering off on his own without a care in the world. He was drawn to a rather large potted plant that looked just so very interesting to him. Very green with lots of pointy leaves that looked like very tall blades of grass. Fascinating.

"Hey, hey, c'mon buddy. This way." Uncle Sam hummed and took his little paw, gently pulling him towards some very large doors. Uncle Sam pressed a button, and the doors suddenly opened all on their own! Winnie gasped, following Uncle Sam into the little room on the other side. The door closed behind them, and the room was suddenly moving. He whimpered, hiding behind Uncle Sam as the room creaked.

Suddenly, the doors opened again, and there was a different hallway in front of them. Uncle Sam lead him out of the little room, and they walked down a long hallway. Uncle Sam used a funny looking card and opened a door, and there was a whole bedroom inside! Winnie immediately bounded inside, leaping onto the large bed in a belly flop. He let out a fit of giggles as his body bounced on the bed.

Uncle Sam smiled fondly at the sight of the happy little teddy.

"Hey buddy, we're gonna be going out to lunch, lets get you dressed up." Uncle Sam hummed, just in time as Daddy walked in with lots of big bags. "Perfect timing, Steve!" He smiled, picking up a blue bag and opening it.

"The place we're going is just a little fancy, so you're gonna have to wear something that Bucky would wear, okay?" Uncle Sam explained to him. Winnie nodded in understanding, digging through their own bag and fishing out his beloved plush form.

Uncle Sam helped to get him into some new, comfortable padding, and some not very colorful clothes. But blue jeans and a dark red shirt were better than all black and gray, he supposed. By the time he was dressed and ready to go, Daddy had already moved all of the bags into the room.

With that, they made their way back down to the lobby and out to their car, making their way to the restaurant.

Winnie went from being curious and almost rambunctious to shy and almost crying as soon as they walked out of the car towards the restaurant. He hid behind Daddy as they walked inside. They talked to a woman at a little, funny looking desk with lots of papers.

"Oh, could we also get a kids menu, please?" Daddy asked, and Winnie tucked his face behind Daddy's shoulder.

They were lead through the big building and were sat at a table, Winnie choosing to sit next to Uncle Sam so he could see Daddy. He was handed a piece of paper with drawings of farm animals on one side and mazes of fish and sea turtles on the other. After being handed a crayon, he got to work coloring on the pages.

By the time Uncle Sam got his attention, there was a connect-the-dot turtle finished, a blue colored cow, and a half finished sea-horse shaped maze. Winnie looked up, setting his crayon down.

"Do you think you know what you would like to eat?" Uncle Sam talked to him quietly, helping to read out the different words on the paper. He couldn't read well, so Uncle Sam and Daddy had to help him with that.

"Sam'wich." Winnie pointed a paw at the paper where Uncle Sam had just pointed, explaining to him that it was a 'fried green tomato BLT'.

"You want the BLT?" Uncle Sam asked, earning a rapid nod from the little teddy. Once that was taken care of, he continued on from his place in the sea-horse shaped maze.

Before he knew it, there was food being placed on their table. He couldn't remember Daddy or Uncle Sam talking to anyone about the food, but he was pretty busy with his very important paperwork, so he didn't care. He carefully moved his paper out of the way for the waiter to put his plate down on the table.

The three took their time enjoying their meals, Winnie being extra careful to not take _too_ big of bites.

"'m full..." He sighed as he leaned back in his seat. He had managed to finish his entire sandwich as well as a few extra fried green tomatoes that they had ordered as appetizers.

Once they had paid for their meals, the three made their way back into the car.

"What would you guys like to do now?" Daddy asked as he drove. "There's a nice historic walking trail, or we can check out the local shops, or-"

Winnie hadn't heard the last of what his Daddy has said, as he had dozed off against the car window not moments after they started driving.

By the time he woke up, they were back at the hotel. He couldn't quite tell who he was for a moment, until he groaned and stretched out his tired body, stepping out of the car on his own.

"We're here?" Bucky asked, looking around the lobby as they walked inside.

"We already _were_ here, Winnie went with us to lunch." Steve smiled, patting him on the shoulder.

"Oh, I'm really sorry, I hope he was he wasn't any troubl-" Bucky was cut off.

"If you call my precious baby boy 'trouble' one more time, Barnes, I'm gonna take him to a candy store and I'll _let_ him be trouble." Sam chided him playfully, and he couldn't help but laugh at the imagery of the tiny little Bucky Bear hopped up on sugary sweets and soda pop.

They could figure out places to go later. Right now, they were all due for a nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **References**
> 
> The mission that Soldier references in the beginning of the story is based directly from ['The Creeps' by Chianine](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2558624/chapters/5688851), a personal favorite HTP fic of ours that we simply could not _not_ reference in a road trip story. Go show that story some love.  
> The restaurant they visit is [Vic's on the River](https://www.vicsontheriver.com/location-hours). We have not actually visited this restaurant and have no affiliation with them or any other restaurant mentioned within this story.
> 
> **Brief Explanations:**
> 
> Some alters in a DID or OSDD system can be easily triggered to the front by things they enjoy, even if completely on accident. The Soldier, upon viewing a very child-themed item such as a children's menu, accidentally triggered Winnie to the front. In turn, Winnie switched with Bucky after falling asleep because sometimes switches happen for seemingly no reason.
> 
> Some alters in a system may have an 'internal image', or a way they view themselves and how they feel in their own body. This doesn't always line up with how their host body actually looks, and can vary wildly between genders, skin tones, hair colors, height, weight, and even species. Alters that have the internal image of something that is not human, ranging from androids that _look_ like humans or humanoid creatures to things that don't even _resemble_ a human (or even a living thing, in some cases) such as a dog or a goat, are called 'non-human' alters. Winnie is considered a non-human alter because he believes himself to be a plush Bucky Bear. This is caused by Bucky projecting his trauma and child-like innocence onto the physical version of the plush bear, forming a non-human, introject, trauma-holder split.
> 
> Some non-human alters are aware that they are in a human body, or are able to speak like different types of cartoon/fictional animals. Others, however, may be completely unaware that they are in a human body, or may not have the mental capacity to speak. All forms of non-human alters are valid and are deserving of respect just as much as their human-based counterparts. All brains dissociate from their trauma differently, and that's okay.
> 
> Trauma-holder alters in a system are just as much fully-defined people as any other alter, and can lead happy lives with the rest of their system with help and support just like any other person. Hence the Soldier, Jamesy, and Winnie all being able to enjoy and interact with the world around them while still receiving help and support from their loved ones and professional help.
> 
> Any behaviors related to DID or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency within this story are based on **personal experiences** and are not a scientific basis or professional explanation for either DID systems or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency. No two people, let alone no two systems, are exactly the same.


	5. Never Get Between the Winter Soldier and His Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daddy parked the car on the side of the road with an annoyed sigh, and Jamesy immediately got a very bad feeling in his tummy. The kind of bad feeling he got when he accidentally thought of the scary grown up games that Old Daddy made him play, or when there was a bad person hiding in an alleyway ready to rob them at any moment. He clutched his favorite triceratops toy just a little tighter in his flesh hand.
> 
> He felt like he was being watched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story features graphic depictions of canon-typical violence as well as brief references to police brutality as well as past sexual abuse.
> 
> Reader Discretion is Advised.

The Jeep jumped and sputtered on the road.

"Oh son of a-" Daddy groaned, pulling the car onto the side of the road.

After a fun filled day of window shopping through Savannah- where Jamesy managed to find, of all things, a _Furby_ \- they were all back on the road headed for Daytona Beach, Florida. They had a three hour drive ahead of them, so they decided to get the ball rolling and hit the road instead of staying another night in the hotel.

That is, until they just barely made it past the Florida-Georgia border, and found themselves on a rather lonely road surrounded by trees on both sides.

Daddy parked the car on the side of the road with an annoyed sigh, and Jamesy immediately got a very bad feeling in his tummy. The kind of bad feeling he got when he accidentally thought of the scary grown up games that Old Daddy made him play, or when there was a bad person hiding in an alleyway ready to rob them at any moment. He clutched his favorite triceratops toy just a little tighter in his flesh hand.

He felt like he was being watched.

"It's just a flat," Daddy sighed as Uncle Sam followed him out. Jamesy set his triceratops toy on his seat and followed suit, staring at the back left tire that looked rather lumpy and sad compared to the other tires. "I can change this easily, we'll be back on the road in no time."

Jamesy couldn't help but look out into the trees that surrounded them. They had accidentally gotten a late start due to some issues with the hotel, so they ended up leaving around late afternoon. Now the sun was setting, and the sky was growing darker by the second. He could hear the crickets and frogs begin their nightly symphonies with the counterpoint of squeaking bats.

"Might want to make that double-time," Uncle Sam mumbled, helping Daddy dig the jack-lift out from under their bags of stuff. "This place is giving me the creeps."

"'m too..." Jamesy mumbled, keeping close to the two men in a pitiful attempt to hide from the trees.

Daddy was able to kick the jack-lift under the Jeep, and let Jamesy push the lever to lift the car's left wheel off the ground. He liked being able to help. Once they got the flat tire elevated, Daddy set to work unscrewing the lug-nuts and handing them to Jamesy.

They managed to pry the flat tire off, with Uncle Sam pulling the spare tire off the back of the Jeep and rolling it toward-

"Don't move." A voice barked, and Jamesy heard a gun click.

This was a trap. Someone planted a sharp object to pop the tire.

They were being robbed.

"Look, we don't want any-"

" **I SAID DON'T MOVE.** " The voice cut Daddy off as a man walked out of the shadows, aiming a handgun straight at them. Two more men followed close behind.

The Soldier woke up to the sound of Jamesy's frozen whimpers.

Protector Mode: Activated.

The man with the gun was easily distracted by the Soldier pelting the lug-nuts at him, a fatal error on that idiot's part.

The Soldier dashed behind the gun-slinger, kicking his legs out from under him and slamming his fist into the face of the second man who tried to rush him. That earned the assailant a bloody nose as he collapsed like a house of cards.

The last man attempted to stab him from behind, but with a quick side step and a full body metal arm swing to the jaw, the stabber was out like a light.

The ringleader attempted to stand back up, clutching his gun and-

 **BANG**.

" **BUCKY!** " The Captain all but shrieked.

The bullet was easily blocked by the Soldier's metal palm gripping the muzzle's opening. He yanked the weapon out of the assailant's hand and easily crushed it between his fingers, letting the broken shards of metal fall to the dirt.

Obviously defeated, the idiot tried to run, attempting to leave his now unconscious buddies to take the blame.

"No you **don't**." The Soldier charged the man, slamming him to the dirt, completely knocking the wind out of him.

And immediately began pummeling his face with his flesh hand, using the metal one to pin his shoulder down as he straddled his chest.

" **THIS** -" _Thwack_. " **IS WHAT** -" _Thwack_. " **YOU GET** -" _Thwack_. " **FOR TRYING** -" _Thwack_. " **TO HURT** -" _Thwack_. " **MY _FAMILY!_** "

 _ **Crunch**_.

"Soldier! Stop!" The Captain easily pulled him off the bloodied man, who let out a weak, pitiful groan. "You're gonna kill him!"

The Soldier's icy eyes met the Captain's, somehow both burning with rage and cold with bitter hatred at the same time.

He didn't even care about the shock the eye contact sent down his spine.

"These idiots are fine," The Falcon stood back up from where he was checking their pulses. "A little banged up, but it's obvious he held back."

"Alright, we better..." The Captain sighed, rubbing his face. "We better call the police."

"And run the risk of my ass getting shot over this if we get the asshole deep-south cop?" The Falcon huffed, not an ounce of playfulness or teasing in his voice. This was serious.

"Then should we call Tony? These guys are obviously trouble. How many other people have they preyed upon?" The Captain huffed in frustration.

 _Prey_.

The Soldier stared at the still-breathing bodies before him. He could smell the fresh, coppery blood. He was _drooling_.

 _Target_.

The Captain noticed his hungry stare.

"Soldier. Go sit by the Jeep. Now." He ordered, really not wanting to add _cannibalism_ to their list of charges tonight.

He read the files. He knew what Hydra made him do.

What they programmed him to _crave_.

The Soldier huffed, but obeyed, wandering back to the Jeep and plopping himself down on the asphalt as the two men tried to figure out what to do.

His head was empty, save for his own, violent thoughts. The others were deep in hiding.

He _protected_ them.

He was _good_.

But he harmed a people.

He was _bad_.

He was not a weapon anymore.

 _But_ -

There were sirens.

How long was he sitting there?

_They were coming to take him away again._

They would dismantle him and destroy him and _punish_ -

"Soldier, just stay there, okay? No one is going to hurt you." The Falcon tried to reassure him. "We're going to sort this out, it's gonna be okay."

The Soldier was frozen in place, unable to think, just staring into the trees as the memories of his missions flooded his empty skull.

His blinding rage had finally dissipated, leaving him frozen and _mortified_.

The Captain was talking with two officers, while two more were guiding the now conscious men to the black police cars.

The Captain pointed at him.

_The Captain pointed directly at him._

One officer began walking towards him.

 _Protect_.

He flinched as the officer leaned down to his sitting level.

"Thank you, Sergeant Barnes." The officer smiled.

...Chto?

The Soldier stared at her, completely dumbfounded. As if being thanked for his violence and ruthlessness after so long blew his tiny, little mind.

"These guys have been causing us trouble for _years_ , but they've always managed to slip away." The officer- who's name was Betty, according to the tag on her chest- explained. "We've had a warrant out for them for the past two years. The guys at the station are sure gonna get'a kick when they hear that _Captain America and his Avengers buddies_ took them down for us!"

The Soldier continued his confused stare, even as the officer held out her hand for him to shake.

"He might be in shock, can we get a blanket or something?" The Captain asked as the Falcon carefully rubbed soothing circles between his shoulder blades. One wrong move could end in a bloodbath and an electric chair.

Officer Betty moved from where she was standing in front of him, taking a blanket from another officer and handing it to the Falcon, who draped the fabric over his shoulders, continuing to rub those soothing circles into his skin.

The Soldier pulled the blanket tighter over himself.

It felt like only a few seconds, but by the time his brain was no longer drowning in dissociated fog, the sky was completely pitch black, and the police cars were pulling away. The Jeep's tire was also replaced.

"Here, we'd better get a wiggle on if we want to get to the hotel before midnight." The Captain sighed, helping the Soldier get back into the car.

There was a plastic triceratops toy waiting for him on the seat.

They had been driving for at least an hour by the time their brain came fully back online.

"That was..." Bucky's voice mumbled, they hadn't realized they said that out loud.

"You did good, _he_ did good." Sam looked back at him from the front seat. "You aren't going to be punished, Soldier protected us and himself without killing anyone. He helped to catch some bad guys. That sounds like regular Avengers work to me."

He did _good_.

Bucky sighed, turning on his phone to mindlessly search for things to do in Florida as the adrenaline crash finally began to wear off. He found the Furby that Jamesy had bought earlier and was mindlessly petting its grey fur and pink tuft of hair between its robotic ears.

There was a soft gasp about thirty minutes later.

"Daddy!" Jamesy piped up, eyes as bright as the sun in the dark car. "Daddy there's a place called 'Dinosaur World' here! They've _dinosaurs_!" Jamesy shoved the phone towards the front seat, letting Uncle Sam take the device to look it over. "Can we go _pl'eeeeeeeees_?"

"This is in Tampa, it's almost two hours from where we're staying." The Falcon explained.

"Oh..." Jamesy's disappointment was immeasurable, they could _hear_ the heartbreak in his little voice.

"Just two hours? That's not too bad." Daddy hummed in thought, keeping his eyes on the dark road ahead of them. "Sure, how about we go tomorrow after breakfast?"

Jamesy nearly popped another tire with how hard he jumped in his seat, bouncing with unbridled excitement.

Looks like they had a new plan for tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Translations:**
> 
> Chto?: What?
> 
> **References:**
> 
> The Furby that Jamesy bought is a 1998 Leopard Coloration, found [here](https://official-furby.fandom.com/wiki/Leopard_Furby).
> 
> **Brief Explanations:**
> 
> In this story, the gang is jumped by a group of criminals who planted sharp objects on the road in order to pop people's car tires. If you are ever in a situation where you get a flat tire on an isolated road at night, do not go out and investigate on your own. Call your country's police number and ask them for assistance, as these kinds of criminal activities are far too common, especially on less populated roads. 
> 
> Another common version of this is criminals rolling tires down hills onto a road to hit a car. If this happens to you and you are still able to drive, do not get off on your nearest exit. Instead, travel further to the next exit, as there could be people waiting to strike. If you are unable to drive, pull over, lock the doors, and call your country's police number. It is important to stay safe out there.
> 
> During this story, the Soldier manually switches to the front in order to protect himself, his system, and the people he loves. This causes a temporary shift in his reasoning, making him regress back to his time as a weapon in Hydra. After this, he is paralyzed by fear when he believes that he will be punished for his actions. This type of shock is common after sudden traumatic events such as defensive fighting or armed robbery.
> 
> The four trauma reactions, or the 'Four F's, are Fight, Flee, Freeze, and Fawn. Flee refers to either physically escaping a traumatic event or dissociating from the event in the form of 'extreme escapism'. Fight refers to fighting back against the source of the trauma, whether physically or verbally. Freeze refers to being unable to move or think while the traumatic event is happening or directly after. Fawn refers to becoming 'the perfect victim', or doing everything in your power to stay on the good side of the person causing trauma (i.e. blindly agreeing with them, defending them from others who challenge them, etc).
> 
> Throughout their time in Hydra, the Soldier reacted to chronic/repeated trauma by obeying and doing everything he could to be 'good' for the organization, while also being the escape that Bucky needed to survive. In this event, however, the Soldier reacted to sudden trauma by fighting to protect the ones he loves, allowing Bucky and the others to once again escape, hence him being the only one conscious during and after the fight. These types of reactions can be common for anyone experiencing trauma, not just DID/OSDD systems or people with dissociative tendencies.
> 
> Any behaviors related to DID or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency within this story are based on **personal experiences** and are not a scientific basis or professional explanation for either DID systems or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency. No two people, let alone no two systems, are exactly the same.
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


	6. Dinosaur Power Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Buh 's almos two hours away an it'll take us a' _leas_ an hour t' eat an' also gotta think of traffic an I wan'a get there b'fore all th' other pe'pol do an before it gets too hot out." Jamesy only ever did math if it was for something he was really looking forward to. Scratch that, _all_ of the Winter System only did math if it was for something they were really looking forward to. "So it'll b' ten when we get there!"
> 
> "Can't argue with that logic..." Uncle Sam sighed, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has a few brief references to past sexual and physical abuse as well as references to bodily fluids and waste.
> 
> Reader Discretion is Advised.
> 
> Enjoy this chapter of Jamesy-Dinosaur-Loving Fluff.

The bathroom sink was running.

After getting to the hotel just before midnight, Jamesy, Daddy, and Uncle Sam got their stuff into the hotel room and promptly passed out from their long day of excitement.

However, that rest was short lived, as Jamesy was up at five thirty-two am already struggling himself into a fresh pullup and clothes to start the day. He had chosen his green shirt with a drawing of a Triceratops with the words 'Tri Me' on it, and a pair of tan capri shorts. Daddy and Uncle Sam groaned as they were woken up at such an ungodly hour, but the sight of their little boy bouncing off the walls in excitement made up for their exhaustion.

Seeing any of them, _especially_ Jamesy, so openly excited was a rare, cherished treat. Pierce didn't want a loud, excited little boy who offered any opinions. It had taken a very long time to teach them all that it's _okay_ to be themselves and show how they're feeling.

"Dinosa'r Worl', Dinosa'r Worl', Dinosa'r Worl'." Jamesy was humming to himself as he brushed his teeth in the hotel bathroom.

"Jamesy, buddy," Daddy yawned, sitting up in the bed. "I'm happy that you're excited, but it's not even six in the morning yet, Dinosaur World doesn't even open until nine." _The sun wasn't even up yet!_

"Buh 's almos two hours away an it'll take us a' _leas_ an hour t' eat an' also gotta think of traffic an I wan'a get there b'fore all th' other pe'pol do an before it gets too hot out." Jamesy only ever did math if it was for something he was really looking forward to. Scratch that, _all_ of the Winter System only did math if it was for something they were really looking forward to. "So it'll b' ten when we get there!"

"Can't argue with that logic..." Uncle Sam sighed, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"But breakfast doesn't even start until six, bug." Daddy tried desperately to think of any excuse to let them sleep for just a moment more. Jamesy was _not_ having it.

"Ye' 'm gon'a get m' shower an' then y'u ha'ffo get y'ur showers too so that'll be..." Jamesy paused, counting on his fingers. "...breakfas' time."

"You're already dressed, why did you get dressed _before_ your shower?" Daddy sighed, defeated, as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He walked over to the little boy and helped him back out of his clothes.

"Had'd t' make sure it look'd good." Jamesy argued, lifting his arms so his Daddy could pull his shirt off.

Turns out Jamesy had it all figured out, because by the time he, Daddy, and Uncle Sam were showed, dressed, and- begrudgingly- ready to start the day, it was already six-thirty in the morning.

Jamesy lead the way down the halls and elevators to the lobby of the hotel, straight to the dining area where the complementary continental breakfast was being served. Uncle Sam found them a table by the windows to watch the sunrise, and Daddy helped him to gather his breakfast onto a plate. Once Jamesy's plate was filled to the brim with an assorted samplings of the breakfast buffet, they made their way back to the table just in time to see the sky turning from a deep lavender to a glistening orange.

"Tomorrow, we've _got_ to see the sunrise on the beach." Daddy explained, staring out the window as the orange sunlight filtered through the tall buildings surrounding them. "I've heard it's beautiful over the water here."

"Gonna try to paint the sunrise?" Uncle Sam hummed as he took a bite of his waffle.

"I don't paint that much, but a pretty photo or two would be nice." Daddy sighed fondly. "Maybe on'a those selfies you young folk always talk about." Daddy joked, making Uncle Sam laugh.

Jamesy was too busy thinking about the dinosaurs waiting for him an hour and fifty minutes away, quietly munching on his pancakes and fruit as he pondered exactly _what_ he would do there.

Once again, Jamesy was right. By the time they all got their fill of breakfast- being three plates for Daddy and Jamesy _each_ and just one plate for Uncle Sam- it was about seven-fourty. And by the time they _finally_ got on the road after Jamesy had accidentally spilled juice onto his shorts- which resulted in almost 30 minutes of panicked crying and him needing to be changed into a new pullup before trading his shorts out for a pair of green cargo shorts- it was just about eight-twenty.

Then they hit the morning rush hour traffic. That was a good extra fourty-five minutes of waiting.

By the time they finally pulled off the exit for Dinosaur World, it was ten-twenty-eight. There were already cars filling up the parking lot.

Jamesy's eyes were the size of dinner plates when he spotted the life-size Triceratops sculpture in the middle of the parking lot.

"Remember, buddy," Daddy got his attention as he parked the car. "You have to use your indoor voice, even if we're outside, okay?"

"'kay." Jamesy already unbuckled himself and grabbed his backpack. Winnie didn't like dinosaurs as much as Jamesy, so he was hiding deep in the backpack along with a few pullups, a coloring book, and Jamesy's favorite Triceratops figure. He quickly fished the figure out of the backpack and stuffed it in his pocket to have close by.

"Daddy, 's it gonna rain?" Jamesy was staring up at the grey, cloudy sky. There wasn't even a patch of blue, and it was impossible to tell where one cloud ended and another began.

"If it does, we'll just head inside and wait for it to stop." Uncle Sam hummed. "Plus, no chance of getting sun burn.

Jamesy remembered getting sun burn once. He was with Old Daddy on a big boat. His tummy twisted painfully in his guts.

"No sun burn." He whimpered. Daddy took his hand and lead him inside, and he was immediately drawn to the life size _baby_ Triceratops statue in the middle of the building's entrance.

After paying for their tickets and a few extra add ons for some activities later, the group were off to the courtyard.

"Daddy..." Jamesy gasped in awe, staring at a life-size Brachiosaurus statue towering above them.

Daddy and Uncle Sam smiled at each other at the sight of their little boy so deeply enthralled and enchanted. Uncle Sam quickly took a picture with his phone.

And then Jamesy was off like a bullet.

"Hey! Wait up!" Uncle Sam called out as the two men chased him down.

Jamesy had managed to stop at every statue display in the courtyard, snapping a picture of every single one with his phone, before they finally caught up to him, staring at a display of Pachycephalosauruses that lead to a walking trail.

By the time they had finished the walking trail- which had some pretty graphic depictions of statues of carnivore dinosaurs hunting down prey that, while the Soldier _thoroughly_ enjoyed taking pictures of, made Jamesy feel a little queasy- the sky was just barely sprinkling, and they were waiting in line for an activity called 'The Dino Gem Dig'.

That turned out to be pretty interesting, as they were given a plastic bag filled with sand and directed to a large, wooden machine with water flowing through it. Jamesy was given a sifter and a list of gemstones and they were able to sift actual raw gemstones from the sand in the bag. Jamesy thoroughly enjoyed naming off every gemstone he picked up while handing them to Daddy to hold onto.

By the time he sifted out the last gemstone, he sighed in disappointment.

"What's wrong, lamb?" Daddy asked, noticing the sudden shift in mood.

"We ha'ffo give them back now, they've gotta reuse them f' other bags..." He mumbled, staring longingly to the colorful stones in his Daddy's hands.

"Oh, no lamb," Daddy laughed, pouring the stones into the now empty plastic bag and tying the opening into a knot to keep it shut. "We bought these, they're yours to keep. You don't give them back."

Jamesy's entire face lit back up at the news, and he couldn't help but pull his Daddy into a tight hug. He could feel people's eyes staring at him, but he was far to happy to care.

With that, Jamesy bounded off to the next activity, a fossil museum with impressive castings of dinosaur fossils and even a few real smaller fossils in display cases. They took their time looking at all the fossils while waiting for the next guided activity. Jamesy was busy snapping pictures of the fossils before he stopped at one particular fossil in the glass display case.

"Daddy." Jamesy was trying to hide a giggle.

"Hm? What is it, bug?" Daddy looked over to the glass case of fossils he was standing next to.

"Daddy, this fossil's called 'Coprolite'," Jamesy did his best impression of Bill Nye the Science Guy, as if he was teaching a class on fossils. "Guess-" He had to stifle a giggle. "Guess-guess wha' it is."

"Hmm, I'm not too sure." Daddy could easily read the information card directly in front of the oddly lumpy fossil, but he _really_ liked seeing his little boy all openly silly and giggling up a storm, so he decided to play along.

"Daddy," He put on his most serious face, one that would almost rival the Soldier's infamous death-glare. He motioned with his hand for Daddy to come closer, and he cupped his hands around his Daddy's ear when he leaned in close to whisper the answer. " _'s dinosaur poop._ "

The immediate giggle fit that came from the little boy was worth the sudden increase of eyes staring at them. Daddy laughed as well, mostly at the sight of Jamesy's face turning bright red with laughter instead of the usual embarrassment.

"I never would'a guessed." Daddy hummed, patting Jamesy on the back when a particularly wheezy laugh evolved into a coughing fit.

"He told you too?" Uncle Sam walked over, making sure they were both okay with how many people were staring at them.

"He told you first?" Daddy responded, handing Jamesy a bottle of water, which he gratefully gulped down. He didn't even notice the people staring at them, which was definitely a first.

After that, they made their way over to the next guided activity; a 'fossil dig' similar to the gem activity, where participants were able to sift through sand and collect little fossils. This time, however, they were only allowed to keep three.

By the time the activity was finished, Jamesy had dug up at least fifteen different tiny fossils. He decided to keep two teeth and an Ammonite fossil.

"Th' teeth ar'a presen' f' Soldier." Jamesy explained to his Daddy and Uncle Sam as they made their way to the attendant, who was put in charge of counting the fossils and putting them in dime-bags so they didn't get lost or broken.

Jamesy chirped out a bright 'Thank'y'u' as the attendant handed him the dime-bag, and they made their way to the next activity. It was rare for Jamesy, or anyone other than Bucky for that matter, to speak anywhere louder than a whisper to strangers.

Luckily, the next activity was indoors, as the sky decided to release a torrent of water onto the world beneath it.

The activity was another museum, this one filled with life size, _animatronic_ dinosaurs.

Jamesy yelped in genuine fear as a motion-activated Tyrannosaurus Rex bellowed next to him.

" _NO REX NO REX!_ " He whimpered, hiding behind Uncle Sam as Daddy rubbed his shoulder.

"Don't worry, lamb, she wont hurt you." Daddy hummed, and that made him feel a little better. "She's just saying hello."

Satisfied with that answer, Jamesy continued down the museum path, stopping to gawk at an animatronic Triceratops.

He stood there for what felt like an eternity, watching as the Triceratops swung its head and swayed its tail and grunted out noises that real Triceratops may or may not have made.

"Don' worry, I won' let th' rex eat y'u." Jamesy was whispering to the robot dinosaur. Daddy would almost be willing to bring up the idea of an AI robot Triceratops to Tony, but he had seen enough modern movies to know bringing dinosaurs back to life was a bad idea, _especially_ if they were mixed with Stark Tech.

He couldn't live with himself if he accidentally traumatized Jamesy with an Ultron-Ceratops rampaging through the city.

By the time they finished the museum tour, the rain had already stopped. What was with Florida and on-again-off-again rain?

Luckily, the sky was still overcast, so the air was cool and crisp instead of hot and muggy.

After stopping to have a picnic in the picnic area with the lunch they had brought in a cooler in the Jeep, they made their way to the last outdoor activity they had planned; a walking tour of life sized dinosaur bones, like the ones seen in a regular nature museum.

As expected, Jamesy took particular interest in the Triceratops, and particular distaste in the T-Rex. He sneered at the bipedal dinosaur skeleton like it just insulted his great-grandmother.

Finally, it was time to venture through the gift shop that stood between them and the parking lot.

It was ingenious, really, making the gift shop the only entrance and exit of the facility.

It took a good two hours to get out of the gift shop.

Jamesy had managed to stuff a dinosaur themed plastic dinnerware set, a dinosaur themed mug, two Triceratops plushes, a Triceratops figure, a bag of assorted miniature dinosaur figures, three bags of dinosaur themed candies and gummies, and one Dinosaur World souvenir T-shirt into his arms. Added to that was the Dinosaur World souvenir baseball hat that found its way onto his head. He looked just about as small as he felt, dwarfed by the armfuls of stuff he had gathered from all over the shop.

"Bucky said he'll pay f' it." Jamesy pulled the 'Please' eyes, and Daddy's heart melted.

"That's sweet," Daddy smiled. "But our bank account is jointed, so it really doesn't matter."

"Oh..." Jamesy's face fell, and the sudden grey clouds that overshadowed his precious sunshine damn near broke his heart.

"But I'm sure Uncle Tony wont mind paying for it~" Daddy hummed, and Jamesy's face lit back up.

"R'eel'y?!" He gasped, clutching the items in his arms tighter.

Daddy nodded, and Jamesy was already bounding to the check-out counter. They had all suffered so much at the hands of Alexander Pierce and Hydra, so Daddy and Uncle Sam were going to spoil them _rotten_ , dammit! If they had to live through this new childhood in this new life in this new world, then they deserved only the best that it had to offer.

Besides, what other kid has a billionaire uncle that will let them buy half a gift shop's worth of toys and souvenirs?

He would text Tony the explanation for the $500 charge to his Stark Credit Card later.

With that, the gang made their way out of the gift shop and back to the Jeep, Jamesy struggling to snap one last picture of the Triceratops statue while carrying at least five bags of random items.

"Here, Steve, go stand with Jamesy." Uncle Sam hummed, propping his phone up on a nearby trashcan.

Jamesy set his bags down and stood next to his Daddy in front of the massive statue. Uncle Sam pressed a button on his phone screen and ran over to join them, wrapping his arms around both of their shoulders as they smiled for the camera.

Modern technology was a wonderful thing.

After stuffing the bags into the trunk of the Jeep, they were on their way back to the hotel.

"Daddy,' Jamesy yawned, he had fallen asleep a little while after they got on the turnpike. "'m hungry."

It was already starting to get dark out by the time they got back to Daytona, they managed to spend the whole day at Dinosaur World, which was completely worth it to see Jamesy so happy.

They all talked about where to get food, and finally decided on a nearby Olive Garden because Jamesy brought up their salad during the discussion.

Thanks to the day's bountiful excitement, Jamesy was thoroughly exhausted, barely able to keep his head up by the time he got to his dessert after his salad and fried lasagna dinner.

Daddy and Uncle Sam hummed in adoration, watching their poor little boy nodding his head in a desperate bid to stay awake and finish his ice cream. That quickly changed to an upright jolt when he accidentally let his nose slip into the cold dessert.

Jamesy fell right back to sleep as soon as they were back in the Jeep, and was barely awake for the walk back to their hotel room.

After a quick shower, bathroom break, and teeth brush, Jamesy was barely able to keep his eyes open, even as Daddy helped him into a new sleep pullup and pajamas. Jamesy felt safe enough to doze off while almost completely naked, and that show of trust filled Daddy and Uncle Sam with a warm sense of love and pride.

Jamesy hummed his approval when he felt Daddy and Uncle Sam cuddle up close to him in their bed, resting his head on Daddy's chest while pulling Uncle Sam's arms over his belly while he loosely spooned him from behind.

They had an alarm set for the sunrise tomorrow morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **References:**
> 
> Dinosaur World is a real dinosaur museum in Plant City, Florida, found [here](https://dinosaurworld.com/florida/). All activities mentioned within this chapter are activities that are currently available at the museum as of May 2020. We did, in fact, visit this museum a few years ago, so any mention of activities and events are based on personal experiences (Except for the $500 souvenir bill).
> 
> [Daytona Beach](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dsya-3zEzEE) is on the Space Coast of Florida, or the Atlantic Coast, meaning the sun rises over the beaches. Personally, the sunrises over the ocean in Daytona Beach are very beautiful on clear days. If given the chance, schedule a beach day to Daytona Beach to see the sunrise. Make sure to bring sunscreen and check out the local restaurants!
> 
> [Coprolite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprolite) is, in fact, fossilized dinosaur feces. Children tend to find this fact both fascinating and hilarious.
> 
> **Brief Explanation:**
> 
> Any behaviors related to DID or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency within this story are based on **personal experiences** and are not a scientific basis or professional explanation for either DID systems or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency. No two people, let alone no two systems, are exactly the same.


	7. Sea-Sickness: Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "That looks bad," Daddy had mumbled, hissing a little at the way Jamesy whimpered. "I think we have some aloe vera in the-"
> 
> Jamesy was off like a bullet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Title: A Sequel Within a Sequel?
> 
> Alternate Alternate Title: Jamesy Makes a New Friend.
> 
> This story features graphic references to past sexual and physical abuse at the hands of Alexander Pierce, as well as mentions of blood, vomiting, and wetting.
> 
> Reader Discretion is Advised.

He felt sea sick.

That made no sense. He wasn't on a boat. He was in an alleyway.

He was hiding behind a dumpster. He was wet and itchy and burning and cold and sick and _scared_.

It all started when they went to the beach for the sunrise.

The sunrise was, as Daddy described, absolutely _breathtaking_. The sun drenched the sky in a gorgeous orange hue, amplified by the soft, smooth clouds that almost looked like they were glowing bright orange and yellow. The deep blue ocean glittered like diamonds under the orb of light in a stunning contrast.

Sam, Steve, and Bucky spent the entire sunrise sitting in the sand, just watching in calm, peaceful silence. It was almost therapeutic, listening to the waves crashing against the shore and the sounds of the world waking up around them.

It was beautiful.

Once the sun was high in the horizon, and the sky morphed from orange to bright blue, they decided a beach day was in order. With a quick trip back to the Jeep then to the changing rooms, the three were all ready for a fun filled day in the sun.

With sunscreen. Lots and lots of sunscreen.

Jamesy had popped back out while they were changing into swim clothes. It turned out that he was not _too_ exhausted for a beach day after yesterday's Dino-Rama. Daddy helped him to coat his face with sunscreen, and let him coat his own arm and chest and belly and legs. He needed Daddy's help again to rub the sunscreen onto his back. Once he was sufficiently coated and dried, he was off to the water, yelping at the hot sand that found its way into his sandals.

He set his sandals down on the corner of the beach blanket before bounding off to the waves, immediately yelping in surprise at the surprisingly cold water. It was already almost ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit out! How was the water still so _cold_?!

Once he got used to the temperature of the water, he began splashing around in the waves, having himself a grand ol' time as the sun rose higher and higher into the sky.

Time must have been on fast forward, as before he knew it almost five hours had passed. His skin felt a little tingly and warm, and the salty sea air was starting to get to him.

He saw someone staring at him.

He saw another person staring at him.

He saw yet another person taking a picture of him.

Time stood still.

His skin felt like it was on fire and his stomach twisted painfully into knot after knot.

Daddy had pulled him out of the water, careful not to touch the burning red skin on his back.

"That looks bad," Daddy had mumbled, hissing a little at the way Jamesy whimpered. "I think we have some aloe vera in the-"

Jamesy was off like a bullet.

He didn't mean to run away, he really _didn't_. But Daddy said that word and the thought of cold gel rubbing against painful skin flooded his brain. He would have to show how much he _appreciated_ the care. He would need to show how much he _loved_ them.

The memories of that boat made him puke on the sidewalk.

He kept running.

So there he was, hiding behind a dumpster in an alleyway behind some random building. He didn't have his phone or his Bucky Bear or his Triceratops or his Daddy or his Uncle Sam or his _anything_. Even Bucky and Soldier were hiding in their head. He had wet his nearly-dried swim trunks at some point while he was running, and he felt so _awful_.

Daddy and Uncle Sam were probably worried sick for him.

He couldn't let them find him. They would make his skin stop burning, and then he would have to show how much he appreciated them with his mouth, or _worse_. Sure the Soldier could handle Daddy and Uncle Sam inside his body, he was _big_. But he was so _small_ , they'd probably rip him in half and then he'd be bleeding and they would beat him for being so _disgusting_ and _bad_.

But he ran away, and he puked on the sidewalk, and he peed all over himself, and he was hiding behind hot smelly garbage, and now there was no chance they _wouldn't_ beat him for disobeying and being such a horrible, ungrateful, disgusting, _wicked_ little boy.

He cried into his burning knees, hugging them close to his equally burning chest as he tried so _hard_ to be quiet and ignore the pain. It felt like the devil was licking all over his body again.

He felt like he was trapped on that boat with Old Daddy again. The alleyway was the wide cabin room, the concrete ground the ocean of bed that Old Daddy made him lay down on.

 _He was trapped_.

" _Bucky! Where are you?!_ " He could hear Daddy and Uncle Sam calling for him, they were getting closer. They sounded so _worried_. But if they found him they would beat him for being so awful and then he'd have to show how _sorry_ he was with his mouth and his body and he didn't _want_ Daddy or Sam inside of him he _didn't_ -

" _Jamesy!_ Oh my god-" He was scrambling off the ground, bolting out of the alleyway in the opposite direction.

" _COME BACK!_ " They called out, and they were _mad_. They _had_ to be. They were going to _kill_ him.

He _deserved_ it.

He was trapped no matter how far he ran.

Hydra always found them no matter how far they ran.

With the Soldier still locked away in hiding, he was stuck in his screaming mind. He didn't know where to go or what to do or how to hide and-

"Woah, hey-"

He blacked out.

He came to standing over an oddly familiar, strawberry blond kid, who was holding his cheek in his hand.

"I-I'm- 'm re'eely so-sorry." He hiccuped through his tears, trying to help the kid back up.

"No no, it's alright. You're, uh, Bucky right?" The kid sat up, checking his hand for any blood.

"H-how-" Jamesy whimpered, wiping his nose with the back of his arm.

"I saw you when me and my buddies were on vacation in New York. Plus uh..." The kid gestured to his arm.

"...Kevin?" That's where he remembered that face from. Kevin from the park and the TV.

"Hey, how did you know _my_ name? I'm not famous." The kid- Kevin- laughed.

"Saw y'u on th' tv." Jamesy sniffled, sitting down on the ground. They were by another alleyway of a different building, and he couldn't hear Daddy or Uncle Sam calling for him anymore.

"Oh, yeah they interviewed me when I sent them that video of Cap and Falcon calling out that chick. I texted Mr. Stark about it cause I figured he knew you or something." Kevin explained. "Are you okay? That sunburn looks pretty nasty."

"Hur's..." Jamesy whimpered, hugging himself tight no matter how bad the burning hurt. "Th-they're gonna hurt me..."

"Hurt you?!" Kevin looked really shocked. "Who's gonna hurt you?"

"M-m' Daddy a-an' Uncl' S-Sam..." He was trembling in fear, rubbing at his soaked eyes with the heel of his palm.

"Aw, no, why would they hurt you?" Kevin seemed really worried, holding his hand out for him and he took it in his own metal one. He didn't even flinch. "They care about you."

"I-I did bad..." He sniffled, coughing out a hiccup. "Th-they're gonna make m' skin feel bett'r an'-an' I'll ha'ffo use m' mouth an m-m' body t-t' show tha' I love them an'-an' I don' _wan'_ to. It _hur's_ " He couldn't help sobbing into his knees. He tried so hard to not break poor Kevin's hand with his metal one when he squeezed it.

"Do they normally do that? They hurt you like _that_?" Kevin whispered, he sounded very worried.

"Uhm...no..." He sniffled, clearing his throat a little. "No, bu'h old daddy us'd to..."

"Yeah, I uh, I followed the trial..." Kevin knew. Kevin _knew_. He knew how much of a dirty sinful horrible disgusting terrible little _brat_ he was.

"'M sorry..." He tucked his head down, trembling in fear and distress.

"Well, I don't know you personally or anything dude, but," Kevin squeezed his metal hand a little tighter, and that felt a little better. "I don't think your Daddy or Uncle Sam want to hurt you. I think they want to help keep you safe and feel better. I think you're just stuck in your dark thoughts right now. That happens to me a lot."

"It does?" Jamesy sniffled, looking up to the kid.

"Yeah, uh, I grew up in a kind of rough place, y'know? I get issues with flashbacks a lot, and like, I kind of related a lot to the stuff you said in the trial." Kevin explained. "I uh, I have P-T-S-D and junk, and I joined the age-regression-A-B-D-L community to kinda cope with that, y'know?" He stammered on. "B-basically I kinda understand a little bit of how you feel, obviously not the _same_ by any means but-"

Jamesy pulled Kevin into a hug.

They _never_ hugged strangers. They didn't even hug the other Avengers.

But Jamesy hugged Kevin.

Kevin hugged him back, carefully to not hurt the burning skin.

"Here, how about we go find your Daddy and Uncle Sam? I'll stay with you the whole time, I _promise_ they aren't gonna hurt you." Kevin stood up, helping him up off the ground.

He was so very scared, but he was itchy and burning and cold and he just wanted to feel better. He had to trust Kevin.

He stood up and followed Kevin back out of the Alleyway.

"I would offer to call them if you knew their number or something," Kevin explained. "But my phone literally _just_ died and I was on my way home to charge it."

"'M sorry, I di'n mean t'-" Jamesy was cut off.

"No no, It's fine, I can live without my phone for like five minutes." Kevin laughed, and it made Jamesy laugh a little bit too.

"Here, look both ways." Kevin stopped at a crosswalk, not letting go of his hand at all. They both looked both ways before crossing the street.

" **JAMESY!!** " Daddy and Uncle Sam's voices called, and he immediately froze up.

He hid behind Kevin as the two ran towards them. Kevin squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"Hey! Hey M-Mr. Captain America, Mr. Fal-" Kevin was interrupted.

"Hey, you're that kid from the park." Uncle Sam pointed out while Daddy tried to pull Jamesy away from him. Jamesy yelped and pulled away, and he was in so much _trouble_.

"Wha-" Daddy sounded so hurt and confused.

"Hey, yeah I live here, I was on vacation in New York and- anyways," Kevin caught himself before he started rambling. "He kinda bumped into me while I was walking home, he was really scared and upset." He pointed to the bruise on his cheek. "It kinda ended up like the first time we met in the city." He laughed.

"Oh my god I'm so _sorry_ , Jamesy why would you-" Daddy got cut off by Kevin.

"No no it's okay, it's okay, really. He was really scared and I don't blame him. He's uh," Kevin thought about what he was going to say. He was obviously really intimidated, having to explain to _Captain America and The Falcon_ that their friend was scared of them beating and molesting him. "He's really scared of getting hurt, y'know? Like uh, like the kinda stuff they talked about in the trials."

"Oh, oh Jamesy _no_." Uncle Sam sounded so _sad_. "Buddy no we were just worried for you. We're never going to hurt you."

Jamesy looked up, and he saw that Daddy was as white as a sheet and looked so _hurt_ and _disgusted_. He felt the tears well up again and he hid behind Kevin again. It was lucky that this kid was almost three inches taller than Daddy, even if he looked like a walking beanstalk.

"'M s-sorry." Jamesy whimpered, keeping his head down.

"No, no lamb don't be sorry. _I'm_ sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel-" Daddy's voice cracked, he was _crying_.

Jamesy carefully moved away from Kevin, still holding his hand as he shuffled towards his Daddy.

"Here, let's get back to the hotel and figure this out." Uncle Sam offered, and Jamesy was about to start screaming. "Kevin, would you like to come with us? It might help Jamesy feel better."

"Oh, uh yeah, yeah sure." Kevin nodded, both intimidated and star-struck at getting invited to the leader of the Avenger's vacation hotel room.

After a walk back to the Jeep and a ride back to the hotel- all the while Jamesy never letting go of Kevin's hand- they were in the hotel room. Jamesy was sitting on an ottoman, avoiding the bed like the plague. Uncle Sam was rubbing cool, soothing gel into his back while Kevin held his hand and Daddy told him he was being so good and so brave. He couldn't help the whimpering sobs that escaped him. He still felt so _scared_. Like the second Kevin left his punishment would begin.

His skin was already starting to heal, it already felt a lot better.

He didn't feel sea sick anymore.

"There we go, all done." Uncle Sam clapped his hands, moving to the bathroom to wash up. He never even _once_ moved his hands anywhere _close_ to his swim trunks or his mouth or _anything_.

"There you go, bug," Daddy smiled, holding his hand out for him to hold. He held his Daddy's hand with his flesh hand while still holding Kevin's with his metal one. "You did so well, you were so _brave_. No one's gonna hurt you, I won't let _anyone_ hurt you ever again. I'm so _proud_ of you."

Jamesy sniffled back another sob, letting go of Kevin's hand and leaning into his chest and sighing when Daddy gently kissed the crown of his head.

He was _safe_.

"Thank you so much, Mr..." Daddy offered his hand to Kevin.

"Oh, Grayson, Kevin Grayson." Kevin smiled and shook his hand. "A-and it's fine, it's an honor to help Mr. Captain America."

"You can call me Steve." Daddy smiled, and Kevin's face turned bright red, mumbling out a 'thank you'.

"It's about dinner time, would you like to join us?" Uncle Sam asked as he walked back from the bathroom.

"Wha-I-I'm _flattered_ Mr. Falcon Sir, b-but I can't impose on you-" Kevin stumbled and stammered over his words.

"You've helped us so much, it's the _least_ we could do." Daddy insisted. "We were so worried he would get hurt running through the city like that."

"Besides, you're a local, yeah? You could show us the good places to eat around here for our next visit." Uncle Sam nodded.

"Uh, yeah, yeah I can- yeah sure!" Kevin smiled, and that made Jamesy smile back.

So the gang got dressed in some proper clothes and, along with Kevin, drove down to a local 1948 diner called 'Starlite diner'. They all had a nice, light discussion about their lives in New York compared to living in Florida, and Jamesy and Kevin had a fun time talking about the sort of things they both enjoy- dinosaurs being the biggest common interest- and general advice about the age regression and ABDL community. Jamesy thought it would be a little fun to have a few friends outside of the tower that could somewhat understand how he felt being little in a big body, even if it wasn't _exactly_ the same.

Once they finished their meals, they paid the check- despite Kevin _insisting_ on paying for it, though he did leave a tip on the table in retaliation- and dropped Kevin off at home. Jamesy and Kevin exchanged phone numbers and adresses, agreeing to be 'east coast pen pals'.

"'M gonna write y'u as soon as we get back t' th' tower!" Jamesy promised, and Kevin smiled in agreement. They made sure Kevin got into his apartment safely before making their way back to the hotel. Jamesy's anxiety was already starting to flare back up once the Jeep was driving again.

They made their way back to the hotel and back to their room. Jamesy took his time showering, brushing his teeth, slipping into his sleep pullup, and pulling on his pajamas all by himself. He needed a little bit of time to be alone after the stress of the day, and Daddy and Uncle Sam knew and understood that, so they spent the time talking to one another on the bed.

Jamesy stood in the doorway, his hands fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

"Do you want to sleep in this bed with us? Or would you like for us to sleep on the pull-out?" They gave him the choice for his own comfort.

Jamesy had to trust that Daddy and Uncle Sam wouldn't hurt him. He loved them deeply, and trusted them more than _anyone_.

He also knew that they wanted him to be comfortable and say how he feels.

"I..." Jamesy took in a deep breath. " _I-I wannasleepalonepl'ees_."

Daddy and Uncle Sam both smiled, standing from the bed and moving to the couch to set up the pull-out.

"Thank you so much for being honest with your comfort, Jamesy. We're so proud of you." Uncle Sam held his hand out to him, and Jamesy tackled him into a hug.

"Aww," Uncle Sam looked up to Daddy. "Do you want Daddy to join in?"

Jamesy nodded, looking over to his Daddy. "Pl'ees."

Daddy smiled and walked to them, hugging them both tight to his chest.

He felt a _lot_ better.

Jamesy snuggled into the bed with Winnie and his two plush Triceratopses he got yesterday, and Daddy and Uncle Sam snuggled together on the pull-out bed.

After exchanging goodnights and 'I love you's, the lights were turned out.

Jamesy only woke up once, not from a nightmare, but from loneliness. He climbed from the bed, clinging Winnie to his chest, and crawled into the pull-out bed with his Daddy and Uncle Sam. He felt Daddy's arms wrap around him, and he snuggled into his chest.

He was _safe_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **References:**
> 
> The events Jamesy has flashbacks of is directly from the first story of the series, [Sea-Sickness](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23355739).
> 
> Kevin Grayson's first appearance was in the story [Five Times Jamesy Felt Broken (and One Time He Felt Whole)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23842636), where Jamesy also accidentally punched him while panicking.
> 
> The restaurant they visit is [Starlite Diner](https://www.starlitedinerdb.com/).
> 
> **Brief Explanations:**
> 
> In this story, Jamesy experiences vivid somatic flashbacks to the time he was molested by Alexander Pierce while on a yacht, as shown in Sea-Sickness. Somatic flashbacks are common in individuals with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or CPTSD as a result of chronic or repeated psychological trauma. They are a form of flashback where the body feels how it did during a traumatic event, as if they are still there and still being affected.
> 
> Kevin refers to himself as being in the 'Age Regression ABDL' community, which is not the same as having child alters in a system. ABDL people, or people who age regress, are singlets- or a single person to a body, the opposite of a system- who mentally age regress, often to cope with trauma.
> 
> Some communities within the umbrella term of ABDL overlap with NSFW communities such as DDLG/CGL, but many are against this overlap, as such things are considered a kink and should be separated from SFW communities.
> 
> On the same note, some systems choose to allow their child alters- or 'system littles'- to interact with these communities, as it can help them to feel less alone as well as finding items that can help them feel comfortable in their host body (i.e. patterned diapers, onesies, oral-safe pacifiers, etc).
> 
> Not all systems are comfortable with this overlap in community, and would prefer to keep their child alters away from said communities for any variety of reasons. Both of these opinions are valid and should be respected. It is the choice of the system to decide whether or not they are comfortable letting their child alters- which are often extremely vulnerable or even trauma-holders, such as the case with Jamesy- interact with these types of communities.
> 
> These are based on **personal experiences** and are not a scientific basis or professional explanation for either DID systems or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency. No two people, let alone no two systems, are exactly the same.


	8. Out With A Bang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Look at my two boys~" The Captain hummed, walking back from the bathroom with a wet cloth and a towel around his waist. The two of them smiled back towards him, the Falcon sitting up as the Soldier rolled onto his back, exposing his fluffy belly like a pup demanding a belly rub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a PWP to end their Florida Vacation. Pure smut ensues.

The Soldier groaned as he bucked into the Captain's warm, wet mouth.

It was the last day of their vacation, and tomorrow they would be making a one-shot trip right back up to their monotonous life of saving the world and coloring in coloring books. Since this was their last night in Florida, and the little ones were fast asleep, they decided to make the most of it.

The Soldier was propped up against the wall, his legs resting on the Captain's shoulders as he sucked him off for all he's worth. Meanwhile, the Falcon was biting and sucking on that sweet spot on his neck, his beard scratching against his skin and _fuck_ that was good.

As well, of _course_ , they remembered his love of scruffy beards. So guess who just so _happened_ to break his razor a few days ago in Savannah? Obviously no shop in Florida had the exact razor they liked, so there were just no other options. Nope. None what so ever.

The Captain hummed and lifted his hips up, moving to lap at his hungry hole, purposefully nuzzling at his sensitive skin. The Soldier hissed at the feeling of the other's scruff scratching against his ass cheeks and perineum.

"That feel good, Big guy?~" The Falcon hums, rubbing his palm over his pert nipple.

"Da- _aahh_ ~" He gasped as he felt the other's tongue press into him. "T-touch me, puzhalsta~"

"Aww, such a good boy asking for what he wants," The Falcon had that teasing glint in his eyes. "Where _exactly_ do you want me to touch you, Soldier?~"

The Soldier glared at him.

"I want you to touch my cock, _please_." He huffed out, followed suit by his eyes rolling back into his skull as the Captain moved to take his balls into his mouth.

"Such a good boy~" The Falcon hummed as he dragged his hand down his belly, taking his sweet ass time to take his cock into his hand. The Soldier groaned out his approval as the other's warm hand wrapped around his cock, gently stroking his sensitive organ.

"Fuck me, _please_." He whimpered, bucking between the Captain's mouth and the Falcon's hand.

"Aw, Cap, do you think he's ready?~" The Falcon hummed, leaning down one more time to suck a deep red hickey into his neck.

"Seems about ready down here~" The Captain purred, easily pressing three fingers into his wet, waiting hole. The Soldier whined at the delicious intrusion. "Think you can handle him opening you up?~" He looked over to the Falcon.

"If I can handle you, I can _definitely_ handle him." The Falcon smirked, and the Captain lifted the Soldier off the wall, carrying him to the bed while still on his shoulders.

"Soldier, get the Falcon prepared for your cock." The Captain ordered, and the Soldier happily obeyed, crawling to the other man on the bed and pulling him close.

The Captain handed him a bottle of lube, which he generously squirted into his flesh hand before slipping a finger inside of him. He took his time carefully pressing his finger in and out of his body, watching his face carefully in case he accidentally caused him any pain. Hurting either of the men he loved in any way wasn't even on his list of things he wanted to do.

"Can I put in another?" The Soldier asked, suddenly a lot more vulnerable and ironically shy. Who would've guessed the Winter Soldier got performance anxiety?

"Thank you for asking, Big guy, but I can handle more than just _that_." The Falcon chuckled, pulling him into a chaste kiss before grabbing his wrist, helping him to guide another _two_ fingers inside of him, earning a hiss from the man below him and a concerned look from himself.

The Soldier puffed up his chest, bulking his courage and confidence as he pressed his fingers in and out of the other's body, curling his finger tips against the other's sensitive nerves. He relished in the encouraging gasps and moans from the man laying beneath him, leaning down to lick at his neck to show his gratitude.

"That's enough." The Captain hummed, standing up from where he was sitting in a chair, stroking his cock and watching their display. The Soldier pulled his fingers from the other's hole, watching carefully as the Captain crawled onto the bed behind him, pulling his back flush to his wide chest.

"Status report. Both of you." The Captain stated.

"Green." The two men responded in unison, and the Soldier felt the Captain's dick pressing against his ass.

"Soldier," The Captain began, leaning forward to press his body down until he was on all fours, now in a 'doggy style' position over the other man. "I want you to put your cock inside of him."

The Soldier looked to the Falcon, and encouraged by a nod and a smile, he guided his cock into the man's tight, warm, slick hole. He bit down a yelp at the sudden shock of overwhelming pleasure, leaning down to blanket the man he was pressing into, who wrapped his arms around his neck to stabilize him.

"Such a good boy, you're doing so good~" The Falcon hummed into his ear, nibbling on his earlobe.

He shuttered, regaining his composure, before he felt the Captain's large, warm hand pulling his ass cheeks apart. He hummed his approval when he felt the blunt pressure of the other's head pressing against his hole.

His vision nearly whited out when he felt the other's thick cock press into his body.

"Ohh fuck~" The Captain groaned, easily slipping inside of him. If the Soldier could feel any shame in that moment, he would have been embarrassed at how easily he took the other's dick inside of him. Instead, he just moaned like a bitch in heat, bucking back against the other. With that movement, he slightly pulled his cock out of the other, which was pushed back into the other as the Captain thrust deeper into him. To add insult to injury, the Falcon bucked his hips up to meet his thrusts, trapping him between the both of their bodies.

It felt _glorious_.

The Captain wrapped his arms around his waist while the Falcon wrapped his legs around the both of them, encasing him between the both of them. With each powerful thrust of the Captain's hips, the Soldier was forced to thrust into the other below him, who bucked his hips to meet him. Every. Single. Time.

" _Fuck_!" The Soldier whined, already overwhelmed by the double-team assault on his sensitive nerve endings. The Captain began to slow and the Soldier immediately ground against him, snarling out his disapproval.

"Don't you dare fucking stop. Make me _feel it, Rogers._ " The Soldier bit out, which earned him a challenging, _hungry_ glare from the Captain. He smirked back, all challenge and cockiness in his eyes.

"Whooo," The Falcon hummed, eyes tracking the both of them as he smirked. "You gonna take that, Cap?"

Both the Soldier and the Falcon were caught off guard by a deep, powerful thrust from the man above them. Their wrecked, hitching moans harmonized with the pounding of the other's cock inside of him. The Soldier could feel his cock throbbing inside of the man beneath him.

Stars flashed bright in his vision at the feeling.

"Running that dirty mouth of yours, such a good boy~" The Captain bit onto his neck, sucking on the sensitive skin and specifically scratching his scruffy chin against his shoulder. The Soldier whined, his prostate being assaulted by the others cock while the other's thrusts into his caused him to inadvertently pummel the Falcon's own bundle of nerves nestled deep inside of him.

"Oh fuck, oh _fuck_ I'm gonna cum~" The Falcon cried out, and the Soldier could feel the other's hole tightening around him. He gasped at the feeling of the other's tightening body combined with the Captain's thrusts becoming more aggressive and off-rhythm. His head was cloudy with pleasure, and he could feel that warm knot in his guts tightening to critical levels with the combined pleasure from the both of them. He moved his flesh hand to the Falcon's cock, stroking him in time with his own pseudo-thrusts.

The Falcon hissed out as his cock twitched and spilled in his hand, and his vision whited out as the Captain buried his cock deep inside of him, forcing him to bury his own deep into the Falcon's body as he spilled thick ropes of hot cum inside of him.

The Soldier collapsed on top of the Falcon, breathing hard as the Captain thrust slowly into him, riding out both of their orgasms.

His brain came back online around the same time the Falcon did, the both of them panting hard as they floated down from cloud nine.

"Look at my two boys~" The Captain hummed, walking back from the bathroom with a wet cloth and a towel around his waist. The two of them smiled back towards him, the Falcon sitting up as the Soldier rolled onto his back, exposing his fluffy belly like a pup demanding a belly rub.

"Looks like you did the both of us in good, Cap~" The Falcon chirped, letting the Captain clean his chest off of his own cum. Once he was cleaned up and on his way to the shower, the Captain moved on to the Soldier, cleaning his hole that was leaking the Captain's own cum. The Soldier hummed as the other man cleaned him up, pressing kisses to his neck and chest that made him shiver from the feeling of the other's soft lips and scratchy scruff.

The Captain had to carry him to the shower once the Falcon was out, helping him into the shower before leaving him to wash himself down. The warm water felt good against his now love-bruised skin. He stepped out of the shower once he was clean, and ran his fingers over the bruises, bites, and hickeys that peppered his neck and chest. These marks would be gone by the morning, but for now, the Soldier would cherish them. He walked out of the bathroom, grabbed their phone, and walked back in to take a picture of himself in the mirror, making sure his towel was wrapped tight around his waist.

He set the phone back down on their already packed bag before crawling into bed with the two men, snuggling between the two of them and pulling the Falcon's back close to his chest, spooning him while the Captain pulled the both of them into his chest.

The Soldier didn't have a nightmare that night.

Although he did have a difficult time walking his bags down to the Jeep when they began their trip back home. However, that was easily remedied by the laughs he had at the Captain's sheepish smile when the front desk worker mentioned a few noise complaints they had received last night.

With that, they began their fifteen hour ride back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Translations:**
> 
> Puzhalsta: Please  
> Da: Yes
> 
> **Brief Explanations:**
> 
> This is literally just porn, no plot. Alters in a system are perfectly capable of consenting if they have the mental capacity to do so and are comfortable with such interactions and have open communication with both their partners and their system-mates. Some systems have alters known as 'sexual protectors', or alters that take any kind of sexual interaction that they experience. In this story, the Soldier would be considered a sexual protector alter on top of being a normal protector and trauma-holder. Alter roles and labels are not absolute, and many can overlap or change with time. There is no scientific basis to it.
> 
> Any behaviors related to DID or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency within this story are based on **personal experiences** and are not a scientific basis or professional explanation for either DID systems or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency. No two people, let alone no two systems, are exactly the same.


	9. An Unexpected Detour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sure, he didn't look like he had a micro-dick or anything while soft, but he certainly didn't look like he was packing the heat he truly was when he was hard. He just looked, y'know, a little less than average. That's perfectly _fine_ for a soft dick, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story features blatant sexual harassment that may be distressing or triggering to some readers.
> 
> Reader Discretion is Advised.

The florescent lights were buzzing.

They were five hours into their drive back to the tower, and were currently stretching their legs at a rest stop in South Carolina.

Bucky needed to piss by the time they pulled into the parking spot, so he wasted no time kicking his door open and walking to the restroom of the rest stop. He stepped up to the urinal that looked the least disgusting, unzipped his pants and fished his dick out before relieving himself. He let out a sigh in relief, his mind going blank as he took care of his business.

He was startled a little by someone else walking into the restroom, a seven foot behemoth of a bearded truck driver-looking man making his way to the urinal next to him.

The Soldier bristled.

'There are three other urinals and four stalls. Why did he _need_ to pick the closest one to us.' The Soldier growled, already close to Protector Mode by this stranger pissing just a little _too_ close to them.

"Shhh." Bucky huffed, unaware that he hissed that out loud.

Luckily, the truck driver-looking fellow seemed to think it was just a random hum, seemingly paying him no mind.

Until they felt eyes on them.

This guy was looking over the fucking divider.

The fucking guy snorted as he glanced down.

Bucky wouldn't feel so suddenly self conscious, if it wasn't for the fact that he was an _obvious_ 'growie', as the kids called it nowadays.

Sure, he didn't look like he had a micro-dick or anything while soft, but he certainly didn't look like he was packing the heat he truly was when he was hard. He just looked, y'know, a little less than average. That's perfectly _fine_ for a soft dick, right?

'Why do I care what this guy thinks? He's not Steve or Sam, he doesn't know us.' Bucky grumbled in his brain, sneering at the wall as he tried to hurry up emptying his bladder.

That, and, y'know, _this stranger was staring at their private parts._

"Figured the Winter Soldier would be packing a little more than _that_ ," The fucker chuckled, deep in his chest, _mocking_ him. "Guess that's where the 'winter' comes from."

The Soldier was _pissed_.

"Fucking creep." Bucky spat, choosing to just clench up and zip up his pants. He could piss in a bottle or behind a tree or in his padding if he needed to, he just wanted to get away from this fucker.

The fucker laughed, shaking his head.

" _And_ he's a pussy? You sure that chode ain't actually y'er clit?" This fucker was mocking them. He didn't even _know_ them.

"I'm not a pussy, leave me alone you fucking creep." The Soldier snarled, pure hatred in his eyes as he glared at the man. His blood was boiling and if this guy didn't leave them alone in the next five seconds, this guy's blood would be all over the restroom floor.

" _So_ scary, little pussy boy." This fucker hummed in a sing-song voice. "Did 'ya sleep with the judge to get acquitted? Let him fuck your little pussy for your undeserved freedom? Little faggot boy?~"

They were all seeing _red_.

"Bucky? You alright?" Steve walked in, immediately on high alert when he read their body language.

"Let's go." The Soldier snapped, stomping towards the door hard enough that he almost cracked the tile floor.

"Aww, gotta have your _daddy_ come save you, little pussy boy?~" The fucker pulled a mock pouting face.

_That was the last fucking straw._

Sam had to drag the both of them out of the restroom.

The creepy fucker had already left and booked it out of the rest stop in his dirty pick-up truck by the time they got to the Jeep. Steve got a good look at the license plate.

The Soldier and Bucky were sitting in the back seat of the Jeep, silently seething with pure, unadulterated **rage**. They were so pissed that they were completely co-conscious, both feeding off of each other's anger.

Steve was on the opposite side of the rage spectrum, shouting to no one in defense of his best man's honor while gripping the steering wheel so hard he almost snapped it in half.

"Steve, he's just some loser with nothing better to do, calm do-" Sam was trying his best to remedy the situation, to no avail.

"He _insulted_ Bucky!" Steve barked at the windshield of the Jeep.

"He called me a pussy boy! He said I slept with the judge and that I didn't deserve my freedom!" None of them could tell who exactly was shouting, all they knew was that they were currently a walking ball of rage.

"I get it, he's some shitty loser. He isn't worth it-" Sam was trying so hard to keep a level head.

"Sam! _He looked at my dick!_ He _looked_! At _my dick_!" Bucky barked, and maybe _that's_ why he was so mad, sometimes trauma reactions trigger unbridled anger. They _hated_ anyone other than Steve or Sam seeing their most vulnerable parts.

They felt _violated_

"Okay, okay you should have _started with that_. That's a little different." Sam huffed, rubbing his face in stress and sudden anger. "But there's nothing we can really _do_. If we call the cops they're just gonna write us off."

"We need to do _something_!" Steve barked, shaking in his anger.

Jamesy sniffled.

_He felt so violated._

Daddy walked out of the car, and Uncle Sam followed suit.

Oh no.

His car door opened, and they both knelt down to his level. He couldn't help struggling out of his seat and hugging them both tight.

"Shhh, it's okay, lamb. It's okay." Daddy cooed, trying his best to calm him down. "We'll figure this out."

Daddy pulled away, taking his phone out of his pocket, and Uncle Sam held him close, saying nice words and trying to keep him calm.

"'M sorry, I-I di'n' mean t' b' trouble..." Jamesy whimpered, rubbing his eyes until they were raw.

"You aren't in any trouble, dear. We're just gonna figure out how we can make this better." Uncle Sam sighed, letting his little boy hug onto him tighter.

After a few minutes, a police car drove into the parking lot.

Jamesy tucked his head into Uncle Sam's chest.

They were going to take him away.

"Jamesy, I need you to sit right here, okay?" Uncle Sam squeezed his hands as he let go, walking to the police that walked out of the marked cars, standing next to Daddy who was talking to them. He could hear Daddy talking about the man and the numbers on the back of his truck.

Jamesy dug through his bag and pulled Winnie out, clinging to him tight.

A few minutes after that, Daddy and Uncle Sam walked back over. They both looked very serious.

"Hey, pal," Daddy said, keeping his voice clear and steady and serious. "We need Bucky to talk to the nice police officers, do you think you could try to get him back out to talk about what happened?"

His blood froze.

He would have to talk to strangers about his private parts and the stranger that looked at them and and _and_ -

He was hyperventilating.

"Hey, hey it's okay. It's okay, lamb." Daddy held his hands, squeezing them tight. "We're gonna be right here, we just need Bucky to tell them his side of the story so we can try to stop that bad man from doing that to other people."

They would be saving other people.

They would be _protecting_ other people.

Jamesy took in a deep breath.

Bucky sighed.

"Okay, okay." Bucky mumbled, sitting up from the car seat and walking towards the officers, both hands up and completely visible. Old habits die hard.

The police officers asked him his name, followed by what the fucker had said to them- which he recounted in _vivid_ detail, his face growing redder and redder every second with anger and embarrassment- followed by a description of what the fucker looked like. After a few more questions, they took down the report and stated that they would be filing the complaint and would let them know if they got any updates. As it turned out, the guy was infamous around these parts for sexually harassing people from out of state, thinking that he would get no repercussion since laws tend to be different when crossing state borders.

He at least felt better talking about it to people who might actually be able to _do something about it_.

With that, the officers thanked them for their time, stepped into their car, and drove off.

Jamesy ran back to the Jeep, tackling Daddy into a hug as he sobbed.

"Oh, lamb, you were so brave." Daddy whispered, hugging him so tight his bones popped. "We're so proud of you, I promise we're never gonna let anything like that happen again."

After a few more minutes of pitiful cries and hushed whispers, the gang made their way back into the jeep, and back on the road towards home.

The ride was not over yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Brief Explanations:**
> 
> In this chapter, Bucky and the Winter System become the victim of sexual harassment when a stranger makes several violating comments about their body while in a rest stop bathroom. Events like this should be reported to the police, even if they are unable to do anything, just in case they _are_ able to do something about it in order to prevent harassment of other people.
> 
> Due to the sudden stress and triggered emotional flashbacks- or flashbacks that are not visual, instead feeling the emotions one felt during traumatic events- they become heavily dissociated and switch out rapidly due to their varying emotional responses.
> 
> Any behaviors related to DID or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency within this story are based on **personal experiences** and are not a scientific basis or professional explanation for either DID systems or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency. No two people, let alone no two systems, are exactly the same.
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


	10. Rest Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They were about eleven hours into their drive back home, and Uncle Sam was getting crabby from being in the car for too long. They stopped at yet another rest stop for a bathroom break, and Jamesy refused to leave Daddy or Uncle Sam's sides, traumatized by the last rest stop experience.
> 
> His eyes caught a big box full of colorful bags and boxes and wrappers, and his tummy growled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick break from the road trip, the story is just about over.

The machine beeped.

They were about eleven hours into their drive back home, and Uncle Sam was getting crabby from being in the car for too long. They stopped at yet another rest stop for a bathroom break, and Jamesy refused to leave Daddy or Uncle Sam's sides, traumatized by the last rest stop experience.

His eyes caught a big box full of colorful bags and boxes and wrappers, and his tummy growled.

"Daddy? Can I ha'f a snack?" He whispered, pointing to the vending machine.

"Hm? Sure, buddy, here." Daddy dug in his pocket for his wallet, handing Jamesy a five dollar bill. " I'll keep an eye on you."

Jamesy nodded, walking the six feet to the brightly lit machine. He saw a bag of cheese chips and a brightly colored chocolate bar, so he slipped the bill into the slit.

The machine spit the bill back out.

"Hmph." Jamesy huffed, taking the bill and rubbing it against the corner of the vending machine to try and unwrinkle the bill. Once he deemed it smooth enough, he tried again.

The machine spit the bill back out yet again.

"Mhrrrr." Jamesy puffed, taking the bill once again and rubbing the corners with his thumbs. He tried again, pressing the bill into the slit.

The machine spit the bill back out once more.

"DADDY." Jamesy's frustration reached its boiling point. He was hungry and tired and riding the coat-tails of a panic attack and he just wanted some chips and chocolate, dang-it!

"Here, here, bug," Daddy took his hand, pulling him away from the offending machine and taking the bill out. "Let's get you some lunch instead, I think there's a restaurant nearby."

"That might set us off an hour." Uncle Sam sounded annoyed, but that was understandable. He wasn't a Super Soldier like Bucky or Daddy, so he was much more tired and cranky than the rest of them.

"Okay, okay, uh..." Daddy sighed, looking around in thought. "Should we book a hotel for the night and keep going tomorrow? It's already been a long day and I don't want anyone getting upset."

"That'd probably be best at this point, some sleep might help decompress." Uncle Sam agreed, and they all walked back to the Jeep to find a hotel.

They hit a lucky break when they found a motel right next to a Burger King, and after pulling through the drive through, they made their way to the motel and booked a room for the night.

After a pleasant meal- for a fast food joint, at least- and a good night's rest, the gang were back on the road home.


	11. Carry Me Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The roads were lit by streetlights, Winnie was nearly hypnotized by their yellow glow flashing across their windows as they drove. He sighed as he looked up through the window, seeing the moon hanging bright in the black sky. He always loved the way the moon was always following him, always watching over him.
> 
> He was startled by a drop hitting the window. Then another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second to last chapter of the story, featuring a very tiny, very sleepy Bucky Bear.
> 
> Warning, may cause intense feelings of nostalgia for rainy car rides and cavities from too much sweetness.
> 
> This chapter's title is from the song 'All the Small Things' by Blink-182.

Winnie was bouncing at the 'Welcome to New York' border sign.

After a night's rest and a warm breakfast, they were back on the road. At that point, they were all ready to get back to their crazy normal lives at the tower.

The roads were lit by streetlights, Winnie was nearly hypnotized by their yellow glow flashing across their windows as they drove. He sighed as he looked up through the window, seeing the moon hanging bright in the black sky. He always loved the way the moon was always following him, always watching over him.

He was startled by a drop hitting the window. Then another.

Soon enough, the whole window was awash in the night rain. Winnie focused on a single drop racing its way down the glass, watching as it left a streak to show its path, like a snail on fast forward. He let out a yawn after the fifth drop he focused on raced across the water scattering across the window. The yellow lights flickered and twisted like a kaleidoscope through the drops, twinkling stars against a dark gray world.

His eyelids felt so heavy as he leaned his head against his seat belt, letting his metal thumb slip comfortably past his lips and curling into the car door.

"Oh, Steve, look." He could barely hear Uncle Sam's whispering voice.

"Oh my goodness..." Daddy's voice sounded so soft and sweet, like honey on warm toast in the cool spring sunlight on a Sunday morning. He could hear the loving smiles in their hushed voices.

Winnie heard nothing else but the thrum of the wheels against the road and the water pittering against the glass.

He felt the car make a turn, then another, then slowly stop. He knew he had been asleep, and he hadn't _truly_ woken up just yet. He could barely make out the lights of the tower parking garage through his sleepy eyes.

He felt the car door at his side open, followed by his seat belt being unbuckled around him, followed by his Daddy's strong arms wrapping around him. He let out a pitiful whimper as he raised his arms, wrapping them around his Daddy's neck as he lifted him from the car. He rolled his head against Daddy's shoulder as he was carried up, up, up, all the way through the tower and to their little home.

Winnie was barely awake by the time he felt Daddy lay him down on the cool bed sheets, followed by his clothes being gently tugged away from his body. After a few moments of nearly unbearable cold, he was in his familiar, fluffy, warm pajamas. He felt warm and safe, dozing without a care in the world like his fur and stuffing were being warmed by sunlight.

He felt Daddy and Uncle Sam crawl into the bed around him, and he cuddled blindly against his Daddy's chest. He could tell it was Daddy by the way his strong heart beat against his chest, the feeling of his wide, warm chest against his cheek.

It was good to be home.


	12. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why do you need a stamp? You know pretend letters only use pretend stamps, not real ones." Uncle Sam reminded him. They had played 'mail truck' on the days Jamesy was just too bored with the normal coloring and games. Those were always pretend envelopes with pretend stamps.
> 
> "'S not pretend, 'm writin' t' Kevin 'n Florida." Jamesy explained in a hurry, still trying to inch his way around the other's outstretched arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter of this story, as well as the beginning of an upcoming interlude/plot bunny saga: Jamesy and Kevin's Pen Pal Adventures! Be sure to keep an eye out for that!

Jamesy was bounding through the house like the devil was at his heels.

"Woah there, little man," Uncle Sam managed to slow him down, putting an arm out to cease the chase. "Where's the fire?"

"...Fire?" Jamesy gave him a confused look. There was no fire, was there?

"It means 'why are you running so fast?'" Uncle Sam explained.

"Oh." Jamesy thought for a moment. That _did_ make a little sense. People tend to run away from fires very fast. Or towards them very fast to help.

"So, why are you running so fast?" Uncle Sam asked again, not moving his arm out of the way, even when Jamesy tried to duck under it.

"Need a stamp." Jamesy explained, as if that was a complete thought that would explain absolutely everything.

"Why do you need a stamp? You know pretend letters only use pretend stamps, not real ones." Uncle Sam reminded him. They had played 'mail truck' on the days Jamesy was just too bored with the normal coloring and games. Those were always pretend envelopes with pretend stamps.

"'S not pretend, 'm writin' t' Kevin 'n Florida." Jamesy explained in a hurry, still trying to inch his way around the other's outstretched arm.

"Ah, a real letter?" Uncle Sam hummed, finally pulling his arm away. The little boy made off like a racing horse through the stable barricades at the start of the Kentucky Derby, frantically digging through the apartment's junk drawer.

"I told him about the pen pal project we had back in school." Daddy clarified with a smile, stepping out of the way as the speed demon found the coveted sheet of stamps and promptly dashed back to their room. After a few short moments, the little boy was back, a sealed, stamped, manila envelop in hand.

"Daddy 'm done 'm done I got th' stamp can we go t' th' pos'office now pl'eeeeeeeees?!" Jamesy's pleads to deliver the letter were flying out of his mouth at a mile a minute, bouncing from one foot to the other not unlike a common potty dance.

"Alright, alright, just let me get my shoes on." Daddy hummed, picking up his shoes and taking them to the couch. He took his sweet time untying the laces, tugging the laces loose, pulling the tongue of the shoe back, carefully slipping his foot into the shoe, re-tightening the laces, adjusting the tongue, re-loosening the retigh-

"Hurry up pl'eeeeeeees!" Jamesy whined, flopping over the arm of the couch with an exasperated huff. It was very rare to see this little boy so openly impatient and insistent. Daddy was happy when he showed more emotions, did things that Old Daddy would have beat him mercilessly for without hesitation or fear that his New Daddy would do the same.

"Alright, alright!" Daddy huffed playfully, quickly slipping his other shoe on before standing up, stretching out his back. He began walking towards the front door...

...Then turned into the kitchen.

"Hmm, I could sure go for a drink right about now." Daddy was teasing him, he knew it.

"Daaaaaddyyyyyyy!" Jamesy whined even louder, his cheeks puffing in frustration. Daddy laughed at the sight.

"I'm just yanking your chain, bug. Lets go." Daddy laughed, walking back towards the door. Jamesy didn't get that either, he wasn't wearing a chain. Only the Soldier ever wore chains, and he wasn't allowed to be out when he did.

After giving Uncle Sam a tight hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, Jamesy was bolting out the door and to the waiting elevator.

Thus began Jamesy and Kevin's Pen Pal Adventures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Brief Explanations:**
> 
> Some people on the Autism Spectrum have a difficult time understanding metaphors or euphemisms, often instead interpreting them literally. This is by no means universal, however, as some people on the spectrum can interpret literary devices just fine. No two people are exactly the same.
> 
> Any behaviors related to DID or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency within this story are based on **personal experiences** and are not a scientific basis or professional explanation for either DID systems or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency. No two people, let alone no two systems, are exactly the same.

**Author's Note:**

> This story will have many types of family-based interactions as the boys travel from Manhattan, New York, to Daytona Beach, Florida.
> 
> These are based on **personal experiences** and are not a scientific basis or professional explanation for either DID systems or Autism Spectrum Neurodivergency. No two people, let alone no two systems, are exactly the same.
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


End file.
